Perfection
by LordWolter1829
Summary: Noun: "A perfect embodiment or example of something." A morally conflicted assassin tries to come to terms with the slew of new emotions that arise from seeking it. Be it love and happiness, or pain and misery. Perfection.
1. Prologue: Perfect Again

I, TrueNinja, return!  
I tore this story down and cleaned it a bit for re-upload. I apologize for my frequent updates going dead all of the sudden, and be warned, it may happen again. However, I doubt I'll be finding ANOTHER love of my life, what with favoring monogamy. So, I claim no ownership over Elfen Lied or any of it's elements; I only claim ownership of this story.  
Without further ado, enjoy. :)

xxxxx

"So…?"

"I'm sorry sir; it'll still be a few minutes."

There came yet another crash, as the contents of another cabinet were tossed carelessly onto the floor in the nearby kitchen. The apartment was a mess, and he had spent so long making it look nice for his short stay here…

"And what are you guys looking for again?"

"Like I said before, sir, a neighbor claimed to see you handling a weapon. She claimed to have spent just over twenty minutes watching you clean at least a dozen firearms of various sizes, while sitting at your window, in a pair of red boxer shorts, singing 'Eye of the Tiger' by Survivor," the officer responded flatly, "Horrible song."

The sound of a drawer of silverware being manhandled out of the expensive counters served to punctuate the man's summary.

"Well… I _do _like that song.", the suspect whined, trying his hardest to pull his jeans up over his bright red boxers, but not having much success with his handcuffed hands, "and I _am _wearing red boxers, but do I _look_ like the kind of man that would own a heap of guns and no permit? Where the hell would I keep them! Sounds to me like you've been pranked."

Before the policeman could offer up a response, his three partners emerged from the kitchen. They had finished their search, and the most dangerous thing they had found was a kitchen knife. The officer rolled his eyes.

He sighed, "Well… looks like you're off the hook this time. Need us to stay for a few minutes and help clean this up?"

"Ah, that'd be nice," The handcuffs clicked, freeing the suspect, "_and… thank you._"

"What's your name, son?" another officer asked, approaching.

"Would you excuse me for a minute, I haven't fed this little guy yet today."

The freed man casually strolled over to a quaint little fish tank that sat in a corner. A tiny fish with silvery scales flittered around nervously. Nestled amongst the bluish pebbles at the bottom rested a large treasure chest that occasionally opened, releasing a jet of bubbles. He glanced sidelong at the policemen.

The one that had originally been guarding him was placing a pillow back onto the sofa, and two of the men who had ransacked the kitchen were working together to move a table. The last one, who had asked for his name, was still staring expectantly.

It happened in an instant. In one clean motion, he reached into the tank, and withdrew a handgun. Protruding from the barrel was a stubby black silencer.

The four shots wouldn't even have been audible from the hallway. The four thuds that one would expect never came. The first officer landed heavily on the sofa he had been fixing, the other two were now resting face-down on the table. The last one was being gently set down on the rug.

There then came four little metallic noises as the spent bullets jingled to a stop on the floor, and Leon observed the damage. The bodies each had a large hole on the exposed side of their head. Blood was splashed on several pieces of furniture, but could easily be dealt with. Yet again, _perfect_. He could have done that so much sooner… he didn't need to let the men handcuff him. But it was always good to know that his ability to hide weapons was better than their ability to find them.

From a compartment under the rug, Leon withdrew several duffel bags. So a neighbor had seen him during his little "celebration" ritual? Semi-nude gun cleaning and singing… a redneck would be proud, but other assassins would be _disgusted_. Oh well; over the course of two days he had arrived, killed the target, packed up, and was ready to leave.

He froze. _Killed the target_. He had popped it onto the list… and it passed through his head so casually. His target. His mark._ His prey_. A human, with a life and memories as vivid as his own, brought to an end.

Sighing, Leon left to go after his next client. Some creeps in lab coats hiring him from Japan. They had made a _'lucrative offer'_, promising several additional _'lucrative offers'_ afterwards… but only should he be successful.

In other words, there were _many_ lucrative offers in store for him.

xxxxx

My short lil prologue. In my writing, I trade short chapters for frequent updates, which will be ESPECIALLY frequent here at the start.

What do you think of that trade-off? What do you think of my writing? What do you think of global affairs! I don't care, good or bad, but if you've read this, take the time to submit a **_review_**, anonymous or otherwise. Even if it's just two words, it'll mean the world to me! :D

-TN


	2. Chapter 1: I Was Hired To

Leon kneeled beside the woman. Sure enough, his dart had hit her right in the neck. Whatever drug it was, his employers assured him that it was '_necessary_' and would '_prevent her from using her... secret weapons for several hours_'. Until she had been struck by a dart, he could not come within three meters of her and was to remain hidden. They had refused to elaborate on exactly _why_.

The smell of blood filled the air. Now that his mark was at his mercy, Leon took the time to survey the room. Corpses, torn asunder, lay all around him. Some cleaved in half, others missing arms, legs… heads.

Most of them wore police uniforms, likely the colleagues of those men he had passed on the way in. But huddled a few feet away from him was a family. A mother, a father, and a daughter. They had embraced each other until the final moment, when their necks had been jaggedly snapped. A lifeless mist now sat in their empty eyes, staring back at him.

"What… the _hell_ is this!" Leon demanded, returning his attention to the girl that lay before him. Her skin was pale, her body small, her clothes torn. '_She can't be older than 16_' he thought to himself, before something caught his eyes. He roughly drew her pinkish hair off to the side so he could get a better view. His eyes widened.

"_Horns!_? _What the hell are you?_" He demanded, as the white, bony masses were revealed, "What are these? What did you _**do **_to these people?"

No response came, and sighing, Leon drew his pistol and planted it on the soft flesh behind her ear.

Then, he stopped. The girl started shaking, and faint noises escaped her lips. Then, she burst out crying. He kneeled there, watching her bawl, before calming himself. The tears were real… he was giving her a hard time, and chances were she didn't need any more of that if she had recently had cops shooting at her... He refused to let someone's last moments be like this, so he decided to try and make them better.

He pulled her close, apologizing, and she buried her teary face into his shoulder. She sobbed quietly for a few more minutes, before finally regaining control. He waited patiently for her to speak. Finally, her voice came, weak and gentle, between choked sobs.

"_You_… _you __d-__don't understand anything…_"

"Well, there are quite a few things I understand." Leon chuckled, offering a smile, "I understand that you've been having a rough time. Want to tell me what's on your mind?"

She lifted her face and their eyes met for the first time. The teary orbs were magenta in color, a very strange shade, and appeared almost hollow…she looked scarred. The rest of her face, in contrast, was beautiful. Narrow and pale, yes, but still beautiful.

"And why would you care about what's troubling me… you're just here to hurt me…_ everyone is_…"

"Not true… I'm here to end the hurting. You may not trust people, but before the end, wouldn't you like to trust one without the possibility of it coming back to haunt you?"

She smirked, "So you're going to _kill _me?"

"At some point, I suppose. But until then, you're stuck here with me." Leon smiled, "So, what's your name?"

"…Nina."

"That's a nice name. I'm Leon."

"You... aren't a police officer. Why are you going to kill me?" Nina asked. He thought for a moment, and repositioned himself so that he was now seated beside her. Still, however, the cold metal of the gun was pressed to the skin behind Nina's ear.

"I was hired to." He stated plainly.

"And how then are you less of a monster than ME?" Leon jumped at her sudden outburst, "I kill people to survive... you kill people to survive _comfortably_!"

"Sounds like you picked the short straw."

Silence enveloped the room, and the two sat, eyes not meeting. After several minutes, some scuffling was heard outside, and voices drifted in through the door.

"Nina – what do you believe happens after you die?"

She scoffed at Leon's continued attempt at conversation, and silently wished that it would all just end now. Yet she replied, "Nothing. I will be left to rot in a ditch or labratory. All my memories and experiences, my sadness and suffering - forgotten. Noone will miss me…" Again Leon found himself, or rather his shirt, on the receiving end of tears.

He wrapped his idle arm around the quivering girl and began to whisper, "Ya know, I'm not a Christian, or any of those other moral cash scams. I don't think that the cumulative experiences that make someone 'human' can be bottled up and either tortured or pampered forever. I don't believe a lot of the other 'afterlife' theories offered by other religions either. I think that whatever one _believes_ will become of them, is what will happen to them…" He paused and sighed, "If someone is weak and depressed enough to create no future for themselves after death, then they will have none."

While Leon spoke, Nina had stopped moving, and listened intently to what he had to say. She contemplated it for a few moments, before speaking, "What do you think will happen to you when you die?"

"Hmm… I guess I'll spend eternity with those I love most, living out what I could not do in life, enjoying the moments I hadn't enjoyed."

"That sounds nice… I want that." She whispered, "...I could spend an eternity talking with you…"

The hallways outside had long since fallen silent as the men listened in on the conversation, but growing impatient, they prepared to enter and the couple could hear their shouts.

Knowing he didn't have any longer, Leon pecked her on the forehead, "I'm looking forward to it."

Those were the last words she would ever hear, and the gunshot was more than enough to spur the police outside to kick in the door. All they found were the bodies, with only one that wasn't in multiple pieces. At least, not large pieces.

Despite the gore, a faint smile was clearly etched onto her face.

xxxxx

Finally, some elements of Elfen Lied. Even if it's not... fun elements. I look forward to seeing where it goes, as I hope one or two out there do as well. Have you read this? Yes or no? If you have, click that lil button that says "_**Review**_"! It shall spur me to write more material, and of a higher grade. Okay, maybe it won't, but it is still nice to hear from y'all.

-TN


	3. Chapter 2: Just as They Deserve

Lily opened her eyes slowly at the sound of the buzzer above the door that signaled feeding time. It cast a red light over the entire room, which was normally a pristine white and unbearably bright. Aside from her chains, the door, and the circular observation area above, the room was a perfect cube. So boring…

As usual, the three armed guards entered, guns drawn and fixed on her. She crouched awkwardly with her back the wall, arms chained too far up to sit comfortably and too far down to stand straight. The mens' eyes scoured her exposed body hungrily from behind dark shades, which she hadn't seen them wearing prior to today. The one in the rear held the bucket of _'food'_: nutritious muck that tasted awful, but was the only thing that Lily had eaten for the past decade, so she couldn't tell.

The men stopped at the edge of a bright red ring that surrounded Lily, stretching out several meters to all sides of her. From the observation room, a button was pressed that slid a tray along a track towards the men. Once they finished dumping the slop into it, the tray slid back to Lily.

What happened next would frighten most people. Small lumps, sort of like handfuls, of the 'food' were lifted from the bucket and hovered towards Lily. Spending almost her entire life in this facility hadn't given her good dining manners, and she sloppily shoveled the foul stuff into her mouth, splattering much of it in her across her body with her frenzied feeding.

This continued for several minutes before Lily had finished, and she then waited patiently for the men to retrieve a hose from a distant corner. She expected them to stand outside the ring, and spray her down with freezing cold water, washing away the food and providing her only drink for the day. Sure enough, the guards had gotten the hose, but one of them withdrew something she didn't recognize. It looked vaguely similar to the guns they usually carried, but one of them loaded a small metallic projectile into it.

The chains rattled as Lily tried her best to shy away from the dart gun being pointed at her. With a hand gesture towards observation from one of the guards, a bright white light filled the room, stunning Lily. It was the most blinding, painful flash she had ever seen. Her eyes flew shut, and her body jolted in shock. She then cringed, feeling the sharp metal projectile bury itself into her shoulder, and then a cool, numbing pain coursed through her veins, radiating away from the hit.

The men eyed her for a few more moments as she twitched uncomfortably, suddenly feeling quite weak. One of them withdrew a marble from his pocket, and rolled it out into the ring, where it slowly approached her. Curious, but seizing the opportunity, she focused on the small object, and it was lifted into the air where it hung for a second.

Then, the orb clattered noisily to the floor as Lily began coughing violently. After regaining control, she again focused on the marble, but nothing happened. Her eyes widened.

Smiling and cheering, the guards stepped into the red ring. Lily shrieked, doing her best to lash out at the intruders.

"It worked!" one of the men called, as they surrounded her. Uncoiling the hose, another began spraying her exposed body with frigid water. She coughed and shivered and panicked, feeling lightheadedness overwhelm her.

"I've wanted to do this for _sooo_ damn long!" Lily heard, as her hair was yanked and a hand began clutching her breast.

xxxxx

"So all these horned girls you've been sending me after… Diclonius? They're what, mutated humans?" Leon called ahead of him to the row of scientists guiding him through the halls of this strange place.

"They are no humans, believe me. They are feral, dangerous creatures that have been cropping up all over in recent years." One of them responded.

"But… at least three of 'em told me about their parents, and the one sai-"

"All lies and deceit." The man cut off Leon midsentence, "This way please."

They were walking down a long hallway that ran through the center of the building, passing by countless rooms with large windows. Leon caught glimpses of girls through most of these windows. Some sleeping, some bloodied - all chained to the walls like animals being experimented on.

"You've managed to succeed at every task we have set you upon thus far. More than a dozen dangerous Diclonius, who could've slaughtered hundreds of innocents. They have been brought to quick and messy ends, just as they deserve…" Leon stepped forward and grabbed the scientist's shoulder at this last remark.

"My marks have all been human beings. You will _not _talk down on those that are dead when you are in my presence…"

The man scoffed and shook Leon's hand off, "You would do well to watch yourself, you are just hired help."

"Hired help that could easily kill the three of you without attracting the attention of that man right there." He gestured towards a stubby guard in a nearby room with his back turned. The man stood watching something happen through one of the big windows. As Leon stared, the man reached out to press a button on a terminal directly in front of him. He entered out of curiosity, and the scientists followed, trying to hold him back.

"What are you do-"

The flash. Leon couldn't remember anything like it… he once had a flashbang grenade thrown at him, but at least that he was expecting. He instinctively backed into a wall and clutched a small dagger he had in his jacket, ready for anything.

In a few seconds, he was fine. While the three scientists were recovering, he strolled to the guard's side and looked down into the room. The short man removed a pair of sunglasses from his face, and began questioning Leon.

But the object that held Leon's attention was in the room below. Three men had just rolled a small object out into a red ring which almost encircled a young girl, bonded to the wall with chains. The girl had the same features, like strangely colored hair and horns, as the other Diclonius whom Leon had killed, but was a little different. She was older, for one thing; maybe eighteen or nineteen? Her horns were also larger, and looked less like rounded stumps and more like spikes. She looked emaciated, even skinnier than the depraved young women that Leon had hunted in the past, and her long hair was a foamy shade of purple.

"What are they doing?" Leon interrupted the babbling guard, who gave up and pointed to the three men below.

"Testing a new drug."

Leon watched the girl twitch uncomfortably, and his eyes widened as the small ball was lifted off of the ground, with no one near it.

"What the… _a drug that lets people manipulate objects from afar…!_"

"No, you dumbass! Who let you in here without saying a thing about why these bitches are dangerous!" the guard spat, rolling his eyes, "They've got invisible _arms_… with invisible _hands_ that can crush and tear and shred!"

The marble suddenly dropped from the air, and the men moved into the ring and encircled the girl. She whimpered and panicked.

"Woah, _woah _now – what are they doing!"

"Making up for having such bad salaries, the lucky bastards!"

The men below were now manhandling the girl, and spraying her down with a hose. She struggled against their grips, but she was frail, and the chains held her in place. Growing aggravated at the things that had been said and the things he was seeing, Leon made a simple choice.

"Hey, guys... I'll pay for the replacement window, mmkay?"

xxxxx

Remember to **_review _**with questions, comments, and concerns. Even if you lack any emotion or artistic input, click that little button. :D

-TN


	4. Chapter 3: She is Special

Lily had no idea what was happening, but she hated it. She felt like she was going to puke, but if she did, she would have to wait until the next day for anyone to clean her up… so she held it back. She could no longer tell what the men were saying, and her eyes were filling up with tears. Through the haze, Lily saw the last of three guards get impatient and unhand her. He unbuckled his pants…

The immense crash shook the whole room, and the 10cm thick glass exploded outwards from the observation room. Through the crystalline shards, a humanoid shape could be made out covering its eyes. It took a good five seconds for the glass to finish chinking to the floor and sliding around. The intruder stood up and grimaced, clutching his shoulder. After a few moments, he withdrew a long, jagged sliver of glass, and discarded the bloody shard on the floor.

The three guards all but forgot Lily at this point, and rushed to deal with the intruder. Of course, the one who had removed his belt tripped and slid face first into the glass, screaming as he did so.

Lily had never seen anything like what happened next. The man waited patiently for the guards to get closer before leaping forward. He became a blur of flips and somersaults, his feet connecting solidly with the chins of his two targets, and they simultaneously fell to the floor, unconscious.

Scanning the area for any other threats, and seeing none, the man relaxed and approached Lily, stepping hard on the head of the sniveling guard who had fallen in the glass. Silence enveloped the room; he somehow walked without creating a sound whatsoever. The chains jingled lightly as Lily shied away, and she tried fruitlessly to shove him aside with her invisible arms, her vectors – the strange drug was still active.

He was now hardly a meter away, and stopped. The red light above the door lit up, and a good dozen or so security filed in, along with three men in lab coats. The armed ones formed a "V", and crouched, aiming down their sights at Lily and her savior.

"Now, now, lads!", The man finally spoke, slow and calm, "I was just preventing an incident… by causing a somewhat larger one!"

"Would you just get away from her!" One of the scientists shouted, beckoning angrily towards Lily's savior.

"I think I'll stand here for a few more minutes… until you tell me what my next job for you is?" The man shielded Lily from the view of the security. Sighing loudly, the scientist stomped into the red ring for some heightened privacy.

After drawing close, he muttered, "I'll provide more details later, but there is a very special Diclonius who recently escaped from this facility. She is on the loose in the town across the water. We want you to… _capture _her."

"What is her name?"

"Does it _matter_?"

"Very much so."

"Her name is Lucy. Anything else?"

"Why capture…?"

"She is… special."

"And how are the rest of these women _NOT _special…?"

"…They are mere pests. Vermin. Lab rats for experimentation. Expendable."

This visibly angered Lily's hero, who took a deep breath, and turned to look at her.

"And what's her name?"

"I already told you, her-"

"Not my mark, you idiot. Who is _this_?" He laughed, smiling gently at Lily with a glance out the corner of his eye.

"Uhh… room 308? She goes by 'Lily'."

The man turned, and she finally got a good look at him. He wore strange clothes – a white shirt with a black coat, and dark blue pants with some bright red visible around the waist. His skin was light, and his dark hair short and spiky.

"Lily, it's a pleasure. My name is Leon." He closed his eyes and took a deep bow. Lily responded with a confused stare, but he simply chuckled and rose back up after a few silent moments had passed.

"The pay will be ten times the standard, which I think we can all agree is worth the extra effort required to _capture _an individual. We shall provide several cases of the paralyzing agent, to render her arms, her vectors, useless against you - all you have to do is find her and alert us. Alright?"

"I have a counter proposition." Leon was suddenly turned around and grasping the scientist's shoulder, "You can keep the twenty million… but you let me take Lily here off your hands."

The man's eyes widened and he scoffed disbelievingly, "You would honestly turn down that much? And what the hell? This isn't some sex-slave shop! Do you think we'll actually let you take this fucking beast outside?"

"First off; I plan on simply giving her a home where she can live with dignity… Secondly; Yes. I do think you'll let me leave with her. I can get her out of the country in a few days, once I capture this 'Lucy' girl. Then Lily here will no longer be your, or anyone else's, problem… mmkay?"

The man shook his head in astonishment, but waved his hand and spun around. He and the security forces left in unison, no doubt willing to let this slide if only so that the twenty million could instead filter into their own pay…

Smiling, Leon took a good look at what bound Lily. The thick chains were heavily bolted to the walls, and the cuffs dug into the girl's wrists, where the skin was rubbed raw. Stepping back, and assuming a combat stance, he inhaled deeply.

With a small hiss as he exhaled, Leon thrust his foot full force into the wall where the bolts met the concrete and metal. There was a loud cracking, and several small bits of cement broke away through a large dent in the steel. Groaning in pain, Leon hopped once or twice and held his foot.

There was a metallic jingle, as a pair of keys was flung through the air. With a flick of the wrist, Leon snatched them out of the air, and proceeded to undo the locks the easy way.

The chains fell away, and the girl stood up. Leon, of course, was still on his knees fiddling with the shackles, and got an… 'invigorating' view as the girl stretched her legs for the first time in weeks.

Coughing nervously, he bolted upright and did his best to keep his eyes on hers. Lily's face was aglow; she was confused, and still lightheaded, but she hadn't had the freedom to move around in so long.

"How do you feel?"

She tried taking a few steps but ultimately fell forward, and her legs splayed, again giving Leon another show he was not accustomed to. He removed his jacket, and wrapped it around her as she regained her balance.

"Here, put thi-"

She yelped in surprise, falling into him. He caught her, of course, but the proximity of their faces only served to redden his more. She looked into his eyes… a little scared, and completely clueless, but overwhelmingly grateful.

"Thank you…"

xxxxx

D'awww. So this chapter is where I left off last time when I became... unexpectedly distracted. Ya know, silly personal life and all. HOWEVER, the next chapter is ready, and shall be up tomorrow. Aren't I amazing? Yes, I am. You should leave a **_review_** telling me so. It can also have any questions, concerns, suggestions, or political leanings. See ya tomorrow!

-TN


	5. Chapter 4: You Didn't Answer Me

Light filtered down through the trees as their leaves flittered about in the breeze, and above the green canopy there sat a bright blue sky devoid of flaws. Soft rustling and the songs of birds completed an almost stereotypical display of the perfect day, the only detrimental factor being the sound of the car's engine.

As Leon drove, he began to regret his decision more and more. He felt like he had done a truly noble thing at first, buying this girl out of a life of captivity. He thought it would be simple: He could just buy her a little house, get her some surgical help with those horns, and all would be well, right? He had not considered that Lily had been a prisoner the past ten years, which was soon accentuated by her behavior, and it became evident that his plan would not work.

She was excited to be moving around, sure, but upon seeing the splendor of the outside world she just lost it. Foamy purple hair blew to and fro as her head darted around, trying to take in the wonderful view. Meanwhile, with one hand Leon both tried to guide her towards the waiting helicopter and keep her jacket secure upon her… assets.

The ride itself was even worse. The noise of the immense rotors frightened her, and she clung close to him, but awe soon replaced fear as the water and rocks soared past below them. A beautiful and seldom used smile adorned her face as she looked on in amazement. At one point she was oblivious to her sole scrap of clothing almost flying off her in the powerful wind, but Leon remained vigilant in protecting her privacy, much to the displeasure of the nosy co-pilot. Finally, they set down on a privately owned helipad and the two were free to be on their way. The whole ordeal had taken about fifteen minutes, but it was clear that this girl could not possibly survive on her own.

With a sigh, Leon returned his attention to the present, and glanced at his passenger. Her face had been glued to the window since they had started moving. In order for her to sit comfortably, Leon had to shift her seat back. This allowed her a degree of comfort, hunched slightly. All because of her horns. He lifted his gaze to the two white spears, jutting from her scalp like those of a Demon.

He had seen what these girls were capable of. Every time he hunted down a Diclonius, they confessed to killing many, often indiscriminately. They certainly fit the moniker of Demon.

Then another thought arose, and he took a deep breath after a moment of panic. Invisible arms. He had never questioned any of his targets about these weapons, these 'vectors'. Such matters were not important when the individual was about to die. But now that he was sitting in a confined space with one of these Diclonius, it suddenly took the prize as Most Important Detail.

How long ago had the drug entered her body? Had it worn off? Was she capable of tearing him limb from limb this very instant? And if she could, would she?

Traffic was starting to get heavier, and soon the car entered a tunnel. In the darkness, lights lined the walls, and flew by at extraordinary speeds. Lily marveled at them for several seconds before turning away from the window for the first time in the whole trip.

"Luh… Leon?"

The car swerved slightly as Leon jolted, suddenly dragged from the depths of his troublesome thoughts. He coughed nervously, but spoke casually, "Eh, yep, Lucy? How are you doing over there?"

"Why did… you, uh, save… me?"

Leon pondered the question, deciding between the short, sweet, and _truthful_ answer... or asking about her choice of words. She said '_saved_', which implies that her situation was… bad. He turned towards her, and examined her carefully. Her wrists and ankles were definitely callused and torn up, but the rest of her was devoid of marks. Her pale legs were long and flawless, her stomach narrow and almost emaciated-looking, but she was still well endowed and…

While his eyes lingered on his passenger, Leon glanced up at the rapidly approaching back end of the car in front o—

xxxxx

"Ladies first!" Leon said with forced cheerfulness, giving a dramatic bow. He figured he was least likely to be torn apart if he stayed polite, with a hint of humorous charm. Lily stared, cautiously, and blinked once or twice before slowly stepping through the door. It clicked shut behind them, and Leon turned to find her looking on in awe.

The entry room was indeed beautiful, as was the rest of the house. He hadn't had the time to properly appreciate the work the construction workers and decorators had put into it. The style was simple and modern, plenty of warm colors and rounded edges. The place had only a few hundred feet of space, but was spacious and packed with bedrooms, a dining hall… the place even had a spa!

Leon sighed, and felt a tinge of pain in his side. The incident with the car was minor, but it still hurt when one of his ribs slammed into the steering wheel. He could feel the tenderness in the area, and it had no doubt turned black and blue. That spa would feel good right about now… but there were more important matters.

"So, I was thinking. You haven't had any good food in years now, am I right?", Leon approached the silent girl from behind, and gently set a hand on her shoulder as he spoke, "I happen to be, among other things, quite skilled in the kitch-"

Stars suddenly clouded his vision, and he gasped for air. He was now several feet from where he had been standing, and Lily was strolling in his direction. Reflexively, he clawed at the air in front of the invisible crushing force, and found himself holding a solid object. He saw nothing there. So... this was one of her 'vectors'.

"You didn't answer me last time. Why did you save me!", she demanded, lacking confidence and sounding confused.

Leon was in pain, but calmed down and offered a grin, "My apologies, the whole 'ramming-several-tons-of-metal-into-several-more-tons-of-metal' took priority at the time. I was a bit distracted last time you asked."

"Answer me!" She responded angrily to his joking attitude, "What do you want from me?"

"I just wanted to help you! What those men were doi-… _**about**_ to do to you was… disgusting. I chose to step in, and then I thought that I would trade an.. _unimportant_ amount of money for your freedom!" He cringed at the lie. _Twenty.. million… dollars.. _He could've given a scraping of it to charity and have done more good than saving this girl, and now his life was in peril because of her…

"So.. this is real? You gave me freedom?" Lily still sounded unsure at this point, "But that still doesn't tell me why! What do you gain?"

"I haven't found out yet," Leon chuckled, "I had planned to set you up with a house somewhere and let you enjoy your life on your own. But I don't think that would be the smartest idea with you slamming those who help you into walls. Err… speaking of which..?"

The pressure was released, and Leon fell to his knees. He looked up at his assailant, and noticed a discontent look spread across her face. He sighed, stood, and dusted himself off, "The short and simple version… is that it was the _right thing_ to do."

"The 'right thing'?" Lily's voice had softened up a great deal. She was definitely wary of him, and rightfully so. But she trusted him enough to accept this answer.

"Sure! I could've taken that.. _minor_-" another cringe, "-_amount_ of money and done _great things_! Feed thousands, bring hope, etcetera… but I prefer immediate gratification. That is, if I had to choose between helping someone I'll never meet and helping someone who is having their basic human rights violated right in front of me.. I made the illogical choice, but it is not the wrong one."

"I… don't understand…"

"You don't need to, I'll explain more another time; for now, how about that meal?"

xxxxx

And we have finally passed where I left off last time. Had this done for a few days, but I've been busy. Next chapter will be up this week sometime, I... tentatively promise. :)

But more importantly, there is this magical, WONDROUS button that allows _YOU_ to directly communicate with me! Have a question? A suggestion? A recommendation? Want a lovely recipe for trans-dimensional alcoholic beverages? Whatever you want, post it in a _**review**_! Now! Just friggen _do it_! I don't care how unimportant you think/know you are, speak your mind! :D

-TN


	6. Chapter 5: Her Angelic Form

Horrible. Freaking **horrible**. What kind of hellish mess had he gotten himself into?

Leon sank in the hot waters until only his eyes glared over the steamy surface. Thoughts races through his head. The drive had gone to hell, dinner had gone to hell, _hell_, even walking through the front door had gone to hell! _And don't even get me started on the fact she had no idea what a toilet was…_

He groaned slightly, lifting his head for a breath. After a brief bit of panting, he went back under, completely submerging himself this time.

Dinner had started pleasantly. Lily watched him keenly, her eyes followed his body as he flourished his way through the kitchen, even juggling knives at one point while he was waiting for the thing to boil. Lobster, his favorite meal. A little butter and herbs and… heaven. You can never go wrong with lobster; unless… you're a vegetarian.

The food was ready, and he set the cutlery down and invited her to "Chow down!" She… certainly lacked in table manners, and Leon almost felt bad for the poor crustacean before the meal had even passed the one minute mark. But… conversation was inevitable, and seeing as Lily couldn't speak past the mouth stuffed with lobster, Leon took the initiative. He tried to be casual at first, asking her what it was like to be outside again. Her response?

xxxxx

"I can't believe it… I had forgotten what the world was even like outside that place." Crumbs falling back to her plate as she spoke. But no thank you, no words of gratitude…

He gave it another shot going for a more serious topic that had been worrying him for a while, "When I saved you," he paused for emphasis, "The guards were in the process of… well, _beginning_ to do something to you. Do you… know what they were trying to do? Had they ever done that before…?"

He waited for her to swallow, then became relieved at her response, "I don't know… but I don't want to think about it. They had never been able to get close to me in the past, and once when a guard came near as I slept…" She paused to take a bite, chew, and then casually resumed, "He didn't get away."

Leon stared down at his silverware. In a way, Lily was like him… he shouldn't be disgusted or shocked at her talking so passively about taking lives, he was an assassin after all. He took lives like the mailman delivered newspapers. But then she started asking the questions, and things went south.

"What were the men in white talking about? They told you to find someone… a girl like me. A Diclonius, Lucy? But you said _'why capture?'_. And… you asked who your '_mark'_ was. What are you?" She sounded accusatory, and a little nervous.

xxxxx

Leon noticed that his lungs were straining, and he surfaced once again. He took several long deep breaths, and relaxed above the water. He must've been under several minutes… impressive. But enough of that… time alone was time for reflection… and his answer to Lily's question had ruined the dinner.

"I'm… a, er, _delivery_ person. I get.. payed lots of money to send… people to, uh, places." He muttered, trying to mask his hesitance by ramming some lobster into his mouth midsentence. And in a way, his answer was true. At least to any religious folk. But Lily was persistent…

"And what about what you did to the guards? I've never seen anything like that!"

Leon thought he could take advantage of this question to switch to a more positive subject. "Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment! I've practiced Martial Arts since I was a little boy. Tang Soo Do, specifically," he was finally talking about something he was comfortable with, "It's a Korean Art… I could show you a few things some time if you want? I know the… invisible arms are a tad more effective, but I still think it wouldn't hurt to have a back up pla—"

"No." She halted him, "You hurt those men. It's wrong to want to know how to do something like that." Leon was taken aback at this remark. _**Wrong**_?

"Didn't you just get done saying that you killed a man who was trying to rape you! Those guards were doing the exact same thing, and all I did was knock them out!"

"Those I've killed have felt no pain." She stated coldly, glaring at him. She had finished her food, and all attention was now directed towards interrogating Leon.

"You have no idea what your prey had felt! They could have experienced unimaginable agony, and you have… no way of knowing…" He hadn't even finished before he realized the truth in his own words. _What about all the people he had killed?_ He always made his kills quick and what he assumed was painless. But… he had no way of knowing. He drifted off into moral contemplation, as a strained look emerged on Lily's face.

The first Diclonius he had killed… what was her name? Nina? He could have killed her at any time, but he not only waited for her to stop crying and spill her heart out to him. He went _beyond_ and comforted her in her last moments. When he had pulled the trigger, her face was set in a smile…

Lily had given up on the debate long ago, convinced that Leon was right about not knowing what her victims felt, but unwilling to dwell on the fact. Now, as Leon sat in silence thinking over all his past kills, she sat with a tense look on her face and a strange feeling between her legs… then she relaxed.

Leon was yanked out of his thoughts at the sound of liquid splashing on the ground.

She had wet herself.

xxxxx

Leon sighed, and sank back into the water. He kept his nose above the surface for the sake of easy breathing, but he was done thinking about the past. Now to look to the future.

Lucy. That was the name of his next, and '_biggest'_ his employers assured him, mark.

But not a mark for assassination, Leon recalled. He had to capture this Diclonius. When he tried to ask why, they only told him that she was unique. _And dangerous._ They had really emphasized that.

Before leaving the compound with Lily, he had the opportunity to speak directly to the head of the shady organization paying his bills. A real creepy bastard named Kakuzawa. He had sharp, menacing features all around, but what really bothered Leon were his eyes. They… pierced Leon, examined every inch of him, and then looked down upon him.

Kakuzawa had provided some additional information on capturing Lucy. He felt she was important enough to have a Special Forces squad brought in, led by one he guaranteed Leon was "The best of the best.". With a world-class assassin, a team of specially trained and equipped soldiers (with their own ace), and a tried and true drug that would render Lucy's vectors worthless, the director of the Diclonius Research Center was feeling confident in his odds of success.

The arrangement was that the soldiers would be prepared at all times, and that Leon would conduct the search and signal for them to move out when he spotted Lucy.

Simple.

xxxxx

Leon let out a final sigh. The past had already happened… the future was in the making… all he had to worry about was the present. And the present was Lily.

He had, prior to his bath, set her up with a room to stay in, and told her to get some sleep. Then he started his ritual 'soaking in hot water and sorting thoughts' that he found made the world seem… less chaotic. Lily should be sleeping well after such an eventful day, so he was free to go to his own bed whenever he wished.

Leon had tuned out the world around him a while back, and only now noticed something amiss. What had alerted him was a draft of cold air coming from the direction of the door. He opened his eyes in it's direction. The door was hanging ajar; he had probably forgotten to click it shut when he came in… He closed his eyes again. He heard a splash in front of him, and they bolted open once more.

"GAAAAAH! WHAT THE—" Leon roared, slipping backwards and going under the water. After struggling to the surface, he found himself looking into Lily's wide, curious eyes.

"What are you doing?" She asked innocently.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He asked, his tone describable more by bewilderment than innocence, "AND WHERE ARE THE CLOTHES I GAVE YOU!"

"They were too tight." She whined, stretching her arms and enjoying the warmth of the spa. Leon was given a full-on view of her chest, and he had to admit, the shirts he had lent her didn't have a chance containing those things.

"So you take them off and hop in my bath? What is this, some cheaply scripted porno?"

"What's a '_porno'_?"

"Let's NOT go down that road of explanation while I'm naked!" Leon struggled to get around the girl, his face reddening with every reflexive glance he took at her body.

Lily sighed, and sank down to her nose in the water with an expression of bliss, "It's so warm… I used to have baths too, but there was never so much water… and it was so cold!"

Finally, Leon clambered his way up onto the tile floor. Using one hand to protect his decency, he made a dash for his towel. Wrapping it around his waist, he finally allowed himself to calm down.

"Why aren't you in bed?"

Lily perked up at the sound of his voice, her horned head rising slightly from the steamy pool, "I couldn't sleep… it's so weird to be here…"

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Leon inquired, genuinely concerned.

Things then took an_.. interesting_ turn. Lily abruptly stood up and stepped out of the spa. Her light purple hair was wet and plastered to her shoulders, and water rolled down her body. The droplets took intricate little paths around and along her various bodily features, pooling at her feet upon finishing their journey. Her… feet…

He stopped. The tattered skin around her ankles and wrists caught his attention again. Every time he noticed them, he felt sick. She had been caged up like an animal. She had been studied like an insect. She had—

"Could I maybe sleep with you?"

— been restrained like an insane…

"_Wait, **what****!**_" Leon choked, doing his best to keep his eyes limited in their exploration to only her face, "I think you should know that what you said has another meaning that is causing a _LOT _of mental pictures to distract me!"

"What do you mean?" She asked, as innocent as ever.

"Don't.. worry about it. Whatever you need is fine by me." Scooping up an additional towel, Leon beckoned for her to come to him. She did so, and he soon found his eyes gravitate through some primal instinct to her hips as they swayed with each step. And then her thighs… _No, must keep control!_

"Here, dry yourself off a bit and put this around you." He said, passing her the towel.

As she did so, Leon took in her angelic form from a more serious perspective. She really was a beautiful girl... Just about every Diclonius Leon had seen appealed to him in some strange way; they all had something alluring about them. Even when she was caged to a wall in a research facility, Lily stood out even among others of her kind. But now that she was free, she only seemed to be more beautiful.

xxxxx

"So… you're not going to wear clothes to bed… and you want to '_sleep_' with me. Considering that I normally enjoy sleeping... '_in the buff_' as well, we have quite a recipe for disaster here." Leon laughed nervously as Lily shed her towel and crawled slowly into his bed, offering him a view he felt quite guilty to have seen. Once situated, she smiled and indicated the space she had left for him. He continued, "Therefore… I will make the executive decision to sleep clothed. For... safety reasons."

"You don't have too… I don't want to make you uncomfortable." She said worriedly.

"Just a tad late for that I'm afraid." He smiled, lowering himself awkwardly beside her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to; Please, take off your clothes!" She actually sounded upset, and then she began to—

"GAH! WOAH!" Leon yelped as she tugged on his pants, succeeding in getting them down to his knees. Of course, the process mandated that she sit up, and the resulting scene was that of a vastly well endowed woman with horns pulling down his pants while he was laying in bed. Fortunately, the night got no more exciting from there.

XXXXX

There we have it! Up MUCH earlier than planned; had an urge to write and the time to do so while I wait for my lass to get back in touch with me. Even better: It's my longest chapter yet in this story!

It feels quite good, and it is very encouraging, to see all the traffic my story gets. BUT. You know what's even BETTER? I want you all to _**review**_. It is so simple, and I KNOW you're there! PRESS THE BUTTON! DO IT! I DARE YOU! WHAT, NOT STRONG ENOUGH?

...

See you guys soon. :D

-TN


	7. Chapter 6: Things Would Advance

Leon walked outside into the harsh sunlight. From the outside, his house appeared fairly normal. Even a bit modest, if somewhat large. This had been a specific demand of his. He had even payed to have some boys do a bit of graffiti work on his house and the one next door. Despite it being only a month or two old, it looked as dull and lived in as any other house in this part of Kamakura.

Lily already learned her way around their house on her own in the two days that she had been with him. The spa, however, was capable of distracting her for hours on end. Having left her a ton of fruit and other food that didn't require much, if any, preparation, she was set as far as living was concerned. Keeping her busy while he was out was an entirely different matter. But he found a time waster he was quite thankful for in the form of drawing.

He had a box of colored pencils he used when planning infiltrations. The colored routes he could lay out on maps made the task of getting into and out of a place undetected much less daunting. All he had to do was set these near Lily along with some sheets of paper, and she had a blast. Wielding a pencil in one hand and each of her vectors, she proceeded to draw things she saw around the house. Leon wouldn't call them great works of art, but she enjoyed it. Sure, she was almost as old as he was, but anything to keep her busy while he did his work was great.

With her safe and distracted, the next task that faced Leon was locating his target. Lucy._ Somewhere out in this city_, he thought as he walked, _is a dangerous girl that I must protect these people from. _

But this wasn't his only concern. There was no easy way to go about it; the best he could do was listen to what people were saying as he got some other things out of the way.. like clothes. He had to get some clothes that would fit Lily. She still held onto his jacket, and would wear it when he asked her too, but it did little to shield her body from his understandably magnetized eyes. So he'd watch out for a place where he could do some shopping.

His walking had taken him away from the impoverished district he was using for cover, bringing him to a large stair case the wound its way down to the beach. Kamakura was a coastal city, and miles of beach ran alongside the commercial district. Most of the beach was pristine, but Leon could see a series of small shanty shacks made of garbage in the distance. Beside them, a small girl ran through the wet sand left by a recent wave, a dog trailing behind her happily. Leon smiled, and returned to his task.

xxxxx

A body that could emerge victorious from any engagement.

A mind that could render the toughest security utterly useless.

A personality that could win anyone over lower their guard long enough for a knife or bullet to do its job.

But Leon was stumbling around the small clothing store like a drunk toddler.

He hadn't taken any measurements of Lily, and didn't even know what kind of outfit she'd be into. He was ashamed to realize that he had seen **quite **a bit of her in their short time together, but the numbers never really ran through his head. Rather, blood was rushing _out_ of his head. _On its way to a happier place…_

"Can I help you?"

Leon snapped to attention, shook his head, and roughly draped the bra he was carrying over the closest clothing rack before scurrying away to a different aisle.

Sighing, he did his best to recollect the approximate dimensions of his new housemate, leading to a faint blush. Rummaging through jackets and hats, he walked by a young woman with brown hair. He resumed his search, throwing random articles of clothing into his basket; a sweater, some pants, a little decorative scarf… Then he heard a voice behind him.

Turning his head towards the noise, he realized the girl he had just passed was talking to herself. In the middle of a tiny shop, in the center of a bustling city, he found what he was looking for.

"This should cover her horns," the woman muttered, examining probably the most atrocious hat in the store, "and hopefully distance her from Kohta if I'm lucky…". She tossed the striped hat, with its colored bobbles, into her own basket. Smiling at his good fortune, Leon decided to make his move.

"Umm, excuse me, I'm so confused. I have absolutely no fashion sense," he paused and flashed a smile, "I'm so sorry, pardon me, the name's Kieran. You are?"

The girl was taken aback by his sudden approach, but that's exactly what Leon wanted. "Yuka... I'm a bit busy, do you need help?"

Yuka. That was all he needed. He chuckled, "Well, sorry to intrude but I'm trying to by something for," he paused, "My… girlfriend. I mean, I think this looks nice, but what's your professional opinion?" He held up one of the sweaters he had absentmindedly picked up. Taking in its appearance for the first time, he was disgusted. Pink and black stripes? He had never seen such a—

"It looks nice. Get it," Yuka smiled, "I've got to go. Good luck! Hope she likes it!"

She walked briskly over to the register, and Leon casually followed, a smile set upon his face. They didn't meet eyes, and parted ways upon leaving the shop.

xxxxx

Lily emerged from her… no, more like _THEIR_ room. She meekly walked into the hallway where Leon was waiting with a very serious look. She stood awkwardly in the black and pink sweater and faded jeans. Leon approached, and proceeded to circle her slowly, his eyes judging her. All jokingly, of course, but it was fun to play with Lily's gullible nature. Once he completed a lap, he laughed and gently set a hand on her arm. Silently, he prayed that this would go better than last time.

"You look amazing."

"Really?" She beamed, and reached up to grasp his hand, and his face reddened appropriately. He shifted his hand to hold hers, which he then softly squeezed. Lily smiled, "Your... hand feels nice…".

Leon began burning up. How was it that he was so… _sensitive _to Lily? He had assassinated many women in the past, and many times the best way to get alone with a woman was with a bit of flirting. This had never made him nervous, but then again, he never had meant anything he said in such situations.

So what did that mean? That he… _liked _Lily? Well, there was no doubt that he _liked _her. She was beautiful and refreshing, a bit of fun and informality in a life of danger and loneliness. But… would it be _right _to even consider a relationship with her? She was naïve and clueless… but her vectors. She was capable of killing him, or anyone for that matter, instantly. Or even worse; slowly.

"Leon?"

He was stirred from his thoughts by Lily's soft voice. He noticed that his hand was still holding hers, and that he had been staring into her eyes while he thought. He quickly withdrew his hand, and averted his gaze.

"I'm.. sorry, I was thinking."

"About what?" She asked, curiously.

"You. I have no idea what I'm going to do about you." He answered truthfully.

"I… I'm not bothering you, am I?"

Her voice had rapidly become distressed, and Leon hastily responded, "No! Everything is fine. It's… I realized something."

"What did you realize?"

"I think I'm falling for you…"

Lily cocked her head to the side; it was obvious she didn't comprehend his words. "You're what?"

"I think I like you." He smiled. For the first time, Leon saw a blush form on her face as well. She understood those words, "I'm glad you're here."

Leon wrapped an arm around her, and guided her to their bedroom. Any other couple would have very different intentions, but Leon's was simply to let her sleep. If she returned his affection… then maybe things would advance.

xxxxx

Of course, even though the clothes fit her fine, Lily found them too constricting, and shed them before crawling into bed beside him. And of course, she was perplexed by his reddened face. And of course, out of respect, Leon refrained from answering her inevitable question. Finally, she fell asleep.

In one fluid motion, Leon pulled away from Lily and set a pillow where her arm had been resting. He'd always wake up to find her holding him or with her hand on him. It's cute, and he'd be lying if he said it didn't make him feel special. He paused to observe his work. She didn't stir at all; _perfect again._

Exiting the room, he made his way to the small private study where he kept the materials his job required. Nothing looked too out of the ordinary, but he knew that guns, knives, poisons, and other handy tools were hidden all around this and every other room. But what he was here for rested alone on a desk in the center.

Opening the sleek black laptop, Leon was greeted with a half-finished game of Solitaire. Any random person who opened his computer would find it pretty boring; a few funny pictures and a game or two. But Leon wasn't any random person.

After pressing a certain combination of keys, he was greeted with a screen asking for a password. Upon entering the memorized code, his goal opened up before his eyes.

The Kamakura Police Department's Civilian Registry. All he had to do was enter that girl's, Yuka's, name, and one of his biggest obstacles in his line of work, the cops, would lead him to his mark. He savored the sweet feeling as he typed the four letters and started the search…

…and then he promptly crashed and burned. The screen displayed, in large text, "NO RECORDS EXIST". With an uneasy feeling growing in his stomach, Leon tried several possible variations of how to spell the girl's name. But the mockery of "NO RECORDS EXIST" continued.

Calming himself, Leon came up with two possible explanations. Either she gave him a false name, or she was new in town. The first troubled him, but he doubted it's possibility. The second wasn't much better.

He groaned and clutched the sides of his head, mind racing for a solution.

Then he thought of one.

With a grin, he recalled Yuka's words. Not only had she mentioned a girl with horns, which Leon had immediately taken as the most important detail. She mentioned a boy named Kohta, who had a possible relationship with the Diclonius.

Delighted, he entered Kohta's name into the police database, and seconds later found his boy. One person lived in Kamakura with that name, and he lived in a closed-down inn near the waterfront. The horned girl would live in or around this inn. Victory! But something was troubling him...

This Kohta lives with one, too... And that Yuka girl is jealous because he has feelings for the Diclonius. Was this really a dangerous individual he was after?

It didn't matter, they all had the vectors, so they were all potential threats...

Scribbling down the address, Leon closed the database and put the faux game of Solitaire back up on the screen. Shutting the laptop, he stood and stretched. The most difficult part of his mission down, at least he hoped so.

Quietly, he worked his way back to his bedroom, where Lily was sleeping peacefully on his futon. In one fluid motion, he replaced the pillow with himself, and grinned when a smile formed on her face.

When all this was over, he decided he'd give love a shot.

xxxxx

Dayum, got this chapter done the day after that last one, despite being busy as hell. Keep having long periods of time with nothing to do, which, if my special someone is reading this, is time I'd rather spend with you. :) (Sorry to my readers, but you aren't the most important people. However, hitting that little button will help. :D)

An observant caveman will notice that I have changed the chapter titles! My original plan was to have a one-sided conversation going with the titles, while keeping the lines relevant to that portion of the story itself. Obviously, this was tough. So I have instead taken notable quotes from each chapter. They all have double meanings, so engage your brains a bit!

Also, as previously mentioned, rise up my list of Important People by writing a SHORT, SIMPLE, , _**review**_.

-TN


	8. Chapter 7: She Was No Monster

Today. Today was the day… or it would be if Leon got lucky.

He ran through countless possible scenarios in his head as he lay there with Lily's warmth against him. As always, her arms had somehow worked their way on top of him during the night, and as always, he took a guilty pleasure in not minding one bit.

But he had to be careful. If this Diclonius he was after, Lucy, is as dangerous as the scientists had said… he'd need to be well equipped. But how would he explain this to Lily? He had to make sure she was set up for the day before he left. And once he did leave… all he could really do was head to Yuka and Kohta's residence and make things up as he went.

That much would be hard enough, but Leon had no idea what he'd do if he actually did find Lucy. Should he signal for the strike team to be deployed as soon as there's proof the girl is in the house? Or… should he try and get the Diclonius away from any innocents? Would he even have the chance? Would Lucy kill everyone around herself if she was discovered?

So many variables… but Leon made up his mind: His target was Lucy, and Lucy alone. No one else would have their lives hampered by the retrieval of his mark.

Confident in his plan for the day, he took a deep breath, and turned his attention to his bedmate.

"Hey, Lily? Wakey wakey… I've gotta get ready to go." He blushed a little at his childish choice of words as she stirred, but it had kind of slipped out on its own. He didn't feel nervous around Lily. Sure, she could shred him into a fine red mist, but… the scientists were _wrong_. She was no monster.

xxxxx

A large fruit salad. That was the standard breakfast of Leon's for as long as he could remember. _Vegan in the morning, carnivore in time for dinner,_ he liked to say. He found that mixing up his normal diet only resulted in… distressed bowels, but there was no point anyway. He was not the kind to get bored of good food.

Neither, thankfully, was Lily, who had gotten back to a healthy weight in their week together. Her hair somehow became even silkier and flowing; its foamy purple hue remained unchanged, though. And seeing as a day never went by where she didn't randomly wander past him naked after removing her clothes for some unknown reason, Leon could verify that the extra pounds had been put to _good _use.

Breakfast was normally spent with her asking him a multitude of questions about his past, his interests, even his clothes. Leon needed to keep quiet about a lot of things for fear of scaring her, and the rest of the questions he.. didn't have any exciting answers for. He was a simple man outside of his past and his profession as an assassin, and without those being available topics, he basically was stuck trying to spruce up his otherwise mundane life with some pretty pathetic jokes.

He had no doubt that the average girl would find him dreadfully boring, but Lily listened to his every word, and for every answer he gave, a new wave of questions would follow. Leon had the feeling she knew that he was hiding some things… but it was obvious that she cared enough not to pry. Things at this particular meal took a different turn, however.

Lily had been a bit quiet since waking, and stared pensively at her food as she picked at it. Occasionally, she glanced nervously up at Leon, and would avert her gaze as soon as he took notice. Finally, he decided to intervene.

"Something on your mind, Lily?"

He got no response for a few seconds, as she built up a little courage. "You… why did you say you 'like' me last night?"

"What can I say, I like to tell the truth once in a while," He laughed, popping a grape into his mouth, "You don't have a problem with me liking you, do you? I mean, it's not that surprising."

"I, uh, don't mind… but what do you mean it's not surprising?"

He gestured at her as he spoke, "Look at you! You were absolutely gorgeous when we first met, and you've only gotten better looking. But other than that… if you want a deeper reason, I think you remind me of myself in a way. We're two sides of the same sick, twisted coin…"

His remark about her appearance caused Lily's face to light up, but the change of tone part way through and the coin metaphor only served to confuse and, unfortunately, intrigue her.

"Coin?"

_More so the 'confuse' part._

xxxxx

"Why don't you ever stay here during the day?" Lily whined as he hustled about the house, thinking of what to bring with him on this most vital of days.

"It will all be over soon, I promise. Then you and I can… figure out what the hell to do next, I suppose," he chuckled, "Mmkay?"

"But why don't you ever take me with you? Or even let me go outside?"

He halted, and tried to think of how he could answer this tactfully. "I can't bring you with me because my job is dangerous, and I don't want you involved with danger. I got you out of that hellhole research facility so that you could be _away _from danger."

"I can't even go outside?"

Leon sighed, "No. Those horns would draw too much attention to you, and if anything goes wrong you might find yourself taken from me and thrown right back into where I saved you from. At least for the moment, you must remain hidden. I'm sorry; I know how tough it must be to hear that after being locked away for so long…"

This settled the issue, and Lily resigned to stand quietly in the main room while Leon began grabbing the tools of his trade from their hiding spots around the house. With her out of the way, he was free to equip himself.

The most important weapon he went for first; his dart gun. Custom made for firing projectiles containing the drug that would disable Lucy's vectors; he would be screwed without it.

Of course, a dart gun isn't the most effective weapon in all circumstances, so he was also inclined to grab a standard low caliber pistol from a hollowed out book in his study. He withdrew the firearm, stubby black silencer attached, and holstered it at his rear alongside the dart gun. Looking at the cavity in the large book - something about bird-watching - he noticed that there were also several thousand Yen tightly bundled up. These went into his pockets, and he left the room.

The spa room was bleak, with little apart from the basin and counters. But prying a certain tile off the wall revealed a crevice that contained a leather pouch. Carefully, Leon scooped it out and opened it. Glistening in the light were half-a-dozen small syringes with a clear liquid in each one. Sedatives; a fraction of the fluid in one tube was capable of putting a bear of a man down in seconds. Seeing as there were at least two innocent teenagers that knew his target, such accessories would be necessary.

It wasn't much, but he was confident in his abilities to make do with so little. He would be working in public, so anything too noticeable was out of the question. However, walking back into the entry room where Lily was waiting, he realized that there was one more item he had the urge to bring.

The prize of his collection sat in a nook in the ornamentally carved woodwork of the ceiling. If in danger, he would have no problem jumping up and grabbing it, but he didn't want to make a scene in front of Lily. He stared at the thing, and looked around for something he could stand on.

Lily noticed his intent of retrieving something from the rafters and saw an opportunity to help. Leon tried to stop her and wave her away, but she strolled over regardless and glanced up to locate the small metallic object. Finding it, her vectors extended and plucked it from its resting spot, holding it out for Leon to grab.

He did so with a grin, uttered a few words of thanks, and gazed upon his favorite weapon. He had hired a man of mechanical miracles… a blacksmith and a clockmaker in one. Leon had payed thousands for this inventor to design for him a concealable but strong sword of full-size. The result? Bessie.

Bessie was the name of a large dog he had owned as a kid, one of his few friends. Family life was… bad for Leon, at least when he had a family. Impoverished Scottish immigrants living in Valencia, Spain. He liked to joke that his name was chosen for being one of the few a Scot could pronounce right. With such strange kin, and with lifetime struggles against what some would call a mental disorder, it was no wonder that he was attracted to a life of crime. His exceptional skill at Martial Arts and infiltration subsequently allowed him a _lucrative _life of crime.

Leon stood there, eyeing the folded blade as memories crept back through his mind for the first time in years. Finally, seeing Lily's curious look, he pressed a small button and flicked his wrist.

The object burst forth, elongating via a serious of swivels and springs, unfolding to reveal its true form. Leon now stood holding a katana. Designed for speed and strength, it was truly the perfect blade for him. Lily was impressed rather than frightened, which Leon found amusing. With a press of a button and a wave of the hand, the blade was gone. He deposited the weapon in his pocket.

"Why are you bringing that with you?" She asked him as he made his way towards the door.

"I told you, what I do is dangerous. The easiest way I can be safe is to be **_more _**dangerous. Have a great day, please, I'll be back later."

xxxxx

Exiting the house, Leon locked the door behind him, and turned to find a group of adolescent boys in leather jackets huddled across the street. They watched him warily, whispering to each other as he stared back. Leon knew that this would be a risk when he chose to live in this part of Kamakura, but he wasn't worried.

The gang started pacing towards him, stretching and cracking their necks. There must have been at least eight. They stopped about a meter away. The largest of them, probably the leader, spat at the ground between Leon's feet and bared his teeth. His followers whooped and clapped, and it was time for Leon to counter this threat.

Casually, he lifted one hand into the air and clenched his fist. The loud grinding and cracking of knuckles was audible to each of the muggers, some of whom furrowed their brows nervously.

The bulky leader began round two, this time jaggedly slamming his head to the left; the cracks could've been heard by Lily if she were at a window. His companions smiled.

Leon smiled and stretched his arms to the left and right, forming a 'T'. With a slight jolt, he retained the posture and simultaneously made all the bones in his arms, back and chest crack and pop. Someone down the street would've noticed the noises. Just about all of the boys went wide-eyed.

Finally, the rhino of a man withdrew a large hunting knife from his jacket and jabbed threateningly in the general direction of Leon. Everyone stared at Leon, expecting him to begin begging any second now.

Sighing, Leon yanked each of his handguns from his pants and pointed them at the group. Several yelped, and every last one turned and ran. Fleeing into various alleyways, only the leader looked back and glared at Leon for a moment before disappearing.

Tucking the armaments away, he giggled quietly and began his trek.

xxxxx

And there we go! Had a bit of a... crisis with the lovely lass from whom I receive my motivation. Fortunately, my charm and stupidity were too alluring for her to give up all-together, and things are back to... somewhat normalish.

But who gives a fudge about ME? No, I'd much rather hear from you guys! I'm thinking something like this... I will upload the next chapter when I see someone new **_review_**. Even if you're anonymous! C'mon guys! There are tons of you in who must see these messages at the end of every chapter and don't have the balls/ovaries to give it a shot! CLICK THE BUTTON!

-TN


	9. Chapter 8: He'd Be Fine

The weather had been lovely when Leon woke up. It was still nice when he had left the house. But now, making his way towards a possibly messy death, the sky began to darken. Leon wasn't religious, per say, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of... _foreboding _when a week of perfect weather ends on the day of his locating of a very dangerous killer.

The incident with the hoodlums had already left his mind, replaced by much more important matters. Like what to say when he got there. Do the kids live with Lucy? Live near her? Are they being threatened into helping her? What if Lucy isn't in the house? What excuse will he use? What if she answers the door herself?

Leon sighed, _"What if it's not even Lucy…"_

He was passing the large staircase now. The streets were moderately bustling, but the steps were clear. Nor was there a single soul on the beach. People so busy with their lives… ignorant of their mortality. They'd rather work so that they can sit around doing nothing when they get old, rather than taking the time to live life to the fullest while in their prime. Sad.

Gazing down at the beach as he thought, Leon noticed someone near the ocean after all. The same little girl and her dog he had seen the previous day. They were together again on the beach, running towards the shanty shacks while laughing.

"_A perfect example," _Leon thought, _"No house, no job, probably not a penny to her name. She gets boundless enjoyment from life while living in a tin hut."_

Turning to be back on his way, Leon assured himself that he would devote some effort to that girl at some point. Maybe give her some money for food and the like. But that was for later; right now he had a mission.

xxxxx

A light drizzle was coming down now, but Leon could finally see his destination. The inn was a surprising distance from anything else; the land around it had yet to be developed on three sides. Even from the nearest house, there was a good three minutes of stairs before one could even reach the front door. Leon finally crested the stairs, and planned to use this convenient weather to his advantage. Surely they'd let a man take cover from the downpour?

Now protected by an overhang, Leon took a deep breath and noticed the door pulled open. _They just leave this open all day? Or did someone forget to shut it?_ He stepped through.

His brow rose in surprise. The courtyard of the inn was now visible. Impressive gardens and pathways wound off around the sides of the building itself, which was of considerable size. Gritting his teeth, Leon sprinted through the mud to the next door.

This was it; once he knocked, it was go time. He checked his weapons, pulling down his shirt so as to better conceal them, and raised his hand to knock.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a man emerged, shoving past Leon and knocking him into the mud. Turning for a second, the boy, no older than twenty, apologized profusely. But whatever he was doing was urgent, and he ran off, fiddling to deploy an umbrella.

Leon blinked once or twice, and then turned at the sound of a gasp. He found himself looking at the confused face of the girl from the store the previous day. Yuka.

"I'm so sorry! He's in a hurry, but that was just unreasonable!"

She extended an arm to help him up, and pulled him out of the rain and into the house while he spoke, "What do you mean 'in a hurry'? What's got him so rushed?"

"A… friend of ours ran out into the rain a few minutes ago, and we're getting worried about her."

The gears turned in Leon's head as he brushed mud off of his pants and grinned, "The same girl you were buying clothes for the other day?"

"W-What?" Yuka stuttered, then her eyes widened in recognition, "Are you that man from the—"

Leon cut her off; her expression told him everything he needed to know. "Sorry, gotta go. Thanks!"

xxxxx

Leon had quite an array of admirable and not-so-admirable skills. Among them was speed. It was a simple matter to catch up with the boy, likely that Kohta fellow. As he raced down the street, calling out a name, Leon did his best to keep himself concealed. Not that it mattered much with the guy so distracted in his hunt. But something struck him odd. _Is he saying… "_Nyu_"?_

Regardless, he couldn't give up on the possible lead. Maybe Lucy had just given them the name as an alias? But what kind of name is 'Nyu'? And if she had left minutes before Leon had arrived, he was probably seconds away from seeing her at one point. _He shouldn't have paused at the beach…_

Speaking of which, Kohta had been following a pretty straight path, and they were now nearing the long winding staircase that descended to the beach. However, he broke off at a smaller series of steps that led to the seaside shacks Leon had seen the young girl and her dog at.

The rain was relentless at this point, and hammered upon them mercilessly as it fell from the black sky above. Its ally was the wind, which whipped at them and stung their faces with flying wet sand.

Leon lagged behind at the shacks, watching carefully and doing some looking around of his own. Kohta ran towards the ocean, and look both ways desperately. He looked absolutely lost, and Leon was about to give up and turn around, when he heard the boy yell.

Umbrella ready, Kohta raced down the beach and slid to a halt alongside a stooped figure, embracing and sheltering it from the wind. Lightning flashed for the first time during the storm, and illuminated two small knobs on the figure's head, now clearly a girl with long pink hair. A Diclonius.

Without hesitation, Leon pressed a small button on the side of his watch, signaling for the operation to begin.

xxxxx

From his spot behind a shack, Leon could see Kohta and the 'Nyu' girl clearly. She had been doing something in the sand before being spotted, and turned towards Kohta with an expression Leon couldn't discern from this distance. But another handy flash of lightning revealed a seashell in her open palms, being offered to Kohta.

Leon was completely clueless, but this was apparently a meaningful act as the boy dropped to his knees and embraced Nyu, losing the umbrella.

After signaling for the team of Special Forces soldiers to be brought in, Leon had been promised that they would be on their way in less than a minute. And seeing as the island facility managed by Leon's employer was visible on the water in the distance, he was sure that the long passionate hug the two were sharing would give him all the time he needed.

But… something was bothering him. If this was the worst Diclonius out there, the most dangerous psychotic individual, a girl who had killed dozens while escaping her prison at the research complex… why was she giving seashells to this random kid and letting him embrace her?

Leon recalled some of his conversations with other Diclonius he had killed… _all _of them told him that they were devoid of friends and any sort of relationships. Most of them had killed off their own families before going on the rampages Leon eventually brought to an end. Even Lily had almost killed him at first, and he had saved her from being raped and experimented upon! Leon didn't even feel safe _**aspiring**_ to anything more than his current awkward relationship with her! How was Kohta so close to this Diclonius? It made Leon… it made him… jealous.

Yanked from their thoughts by the ominous sound of helicopter blades slashing through the gale, Leon and the couple looked up at the metal transport lowering itself to the sand a ways down the beach. What had it been? Five minutes? Impressive.

xxxxx

The soldiers thundered out from the helicopter in the same calculated fashion that Leon had seen many times in the past, as S.W.A.T. officers and various military units often had a tendency to get in the way when assassinating world leaders.

Leon watched as the men moved into position, kneeling around Kohta and Nyu with tactical rigidity. But then… one last person came meandering out of the helicopter, rifle slung over his shoulder. The armored giant's eyes were hidden by his helmet's visor, but he was grinning quite widely. His teeth reflected the light of another lightning bolt as it carved its way through the darkness. He took his place alongside his men, and aimed with his gun.

Of course, the soldiers were a good several meters from the couple. They had to be, so they would be safe from her—

_...Shit._

"Damn! DON'T GET CLOSE!" Leon roared over the high winds, bursting forth from his position and standing opposite the soldiers, keeping his distance from the Diclonius. Several of the guns were resighted on him.

Then the giant one shouted back, "Who the hell are you? You've got three seconds!"

"I'm the assassin; you're either the 'ace' I was told about or this team's retarded cheerleader! We'll discuss it later!" Leon drew his dart gun and took aim at the girl, "She hasn't been drugged yet, keep your distance!"

Another of the soldiers spoke up, "Boy! Get away from her NOW!"

Kohta was frightened, but refused to move. Growing impatient, the ace of the squad stepped forward and resolved the situation with a rifle butt to Kohta's face.

Leon was holding his breath since the man had started moving, but exhaled when there was a surprising lack of blood and flying limbs. _Why wasn't the girl defending him? What was she doing?_

The boy fell to the ground, and the Diclonius… there was no better word. She squeaked. "Nyu, Nyu!" her voice rose above the easing sound of the wind. Laughing, the brute lowered himself to examine her more closely. _Didn't he know about the vectors?_

"You… probably shouldn't get too close, Bando! The 'secret weapon', remember?" Another soldier called, and Leon could hear every word now that only the pattering of rain was present. _So that was the guy's name…_

Kohta grabbed at his head, and sat up only to find himself looking down the barrel of Bando's rifle.

"We were told we could kill any witnesses; isn't that right?" the man laughed, turning back towards the soldier whose warning he had ignored.

Leon was about to step forward, but Kohta spoke first. Idiot.

"K-Kill!"

Bando grunted, slamming the boy down to the sound again before retorting, "Dumbass. Kill. Verb. It means I pull this trigger, the gun goes off, and your brains _splatter _all over the sand! The beach gets bloody, and you get _dead_."

This shut Kohta up, but it also spurred him into making another dumb decision. "Nyu! Run!" he called, slapping Bando's gun to the side and turning to flee.

Time slowed for Leon. The two were running at him. If he didn't do something, they might both get gunned down by this crazy Bando-bastard.

In one swift movement, he fired the dart into the Diclonius' shoulder. Then he spun and finished with a slap of the pistol to Kohta's face. He collapsed and dragged Nyu down with him. Now all that was left to d—

The sound of automatic gunfire made Leon flinch, and he aimed the dart gun at Bando. _Sure, a dart to the face might not be lethal, but…_

"What are you **doing**? They're down, you idiot!" he roared at the soldier, doing little more than amusing the man.

Bando laughed, ignoring him, and began strolling towards the couple. Leon kept his gun aimed at the man as he passed by. Kohta, the fool that he had thus far proven himself to be, was standing in front of Nyu, thinking he could save her with a show of dramatic heroism.

"Last chance, kid. Out of my way!"

Kohta didn't budge. Bando was now directly in front of him, and gave the boy a swift knee to the 'family jewels'. This did _indeed _result in budging, and the kid collapsed into the wet sand, coughing violently. After a few moments, he blacked out.

Leon tensed as Bando pointed the gun at Nyu. Lucy. The Diclonius. It didn't _matter_… the girl wasn't fighting back, or showing **ANY **signs of hostility._ This was… wrong._

"Come on, girl… Let's get you away from the street and you can show us a good time!" Bando grabbed her wrist and began dragging her off towards the piles of junk further down the beach. The soldiers tagged along, having completely forgotten about their mission.

Leon noticed something as Nyu struggled against the grip of her captor. Her shoulder… the dart was sticking loosely in the cloth. _It had never actually injected her…_

Leon smirked. He would take a sick sense of righteous enjoyment from seeing these so called 'Special Forces' get torn to pieces trying to rape this poor girl. And just to make sure that nothing _actually _happened to her… Leon began walking alongside the group.

He glanced back at Kohta. The rain was still coming down, but lighter now. The boy had a jacket and was right next to the street. He'd be fine.

xxxxx

I was just tearing away at this, and had a good 5,000 words when I decided I should probably split it up a little. Next part might even be up later today!

Of course, as _always_, seeing a lovely email notifying me that "A **_review_**has been submitted" will... make my day. Isn't that enough, people? Are you lacking in keyboards or something?

In the words of Clint Eastwood (at least I hope it's him) **_"Go on; make my day!"_**

-TN


	10. Chapter 9: Both of You

Leon and the soldiers were following Bando as he dragged the girl through the sand by her heel. She had given up on struggling, and instead was looking up into the eyes of all of the men behind her. Leon noticed that whenever her gaze drifted over any of the troops, they began glancing up, to the sides, forward… anywhere to escape her pitiful expression.

Then she came to Leon, walking behind all the other men. Her eyes… they were pleading with him in a way words couldn't. But he stared back, doing his best to convey that he would do his utmost to keep her safe... until she had been captured. As they walked through the storm, he offered her slight peace of mind with his soft smile.

They were passing through the trash piles now, and the sound of a siren in the distance let them all know that Kohta had been found. He'd be safe, and even if he told anyone what was happening… it'd be too late.

Finally, a soldier voiced what had been plaguing Leon's mind for the past two days.

"Is this even the right girl? She's not acting like any killer I know," He waited, but received no response, "Bando!"

While Leon was questioning the man's choice of words (he knew killers?), Bando was busy offering up a response that proved to Leon that he was unaware of what this girl even was; That there were others like her.

"And how many girls do you know with _horns _growing out of their heads?"

"I guess you're right…" The soldier muttered. Still unsatisfied, he withdrew a walkie-talkie and spoke into the receiver, "This is Bando Team, over. We've apprehended a female matching the suspect's description. We're located at—"

Bando spun like lightning, releasing the girl and ramming the butt of his rifle into the back of the man's head, startling everyone else.

"Don't you _dare_ try to undermine ME!" He shouted threateningly, proceeding to smash the communication device into the sand, "I want to have a little fun here."

The soldiers stopped and gathered around Bando and the girl. Leon entered the circle to help the one who had been bashed, earning a scoff from the man's attacker. Leon scoffed back mockingly, and guided the dazed man away from the action. Bando rolled his eyes and got back to dealing with his prey

"So, I hear you're some kind of big-time badass, am I right?" he laughed in the Diclonius' face, "Let's see some! C'mon! Show me what you've got!"

The girl yelped in pain as she was thrown several meters by her hair, her punishment for her innocent and unknowing stare. Everyone else was distracted by the involuntary acrobatics, but Leon noticed the dart release itself from her shirt and lodge in the sand at his feet. He satisfactorily ground it into the beach, glad to note that it was still full of the paralyzing drug.

Bando grabbed and flung the girl again, knocking her into an abandoned boat, "Are you a cold-hearted killer or not? God damn it, DO something!"

"Nyu…" The girl squeaked pitifully; it hurt Leon just to hear it. But then he and everyone else present noticed her hiding something behind her.

"What's this now? What are you hiding back there?" Bando spat, as the soldier Leon had helped to his feet want forward.

"_Careful_! What if it's her secret weapon!"

Leon furrowed his brow. He already had a good idea of what the object would be… it made him feel kind of sad. But Bando was only more angered in her reluctance to show him.

"If you've got a secret weapon, you'd better use it _NOW_!" he roared, scaring Nyu. She turned and hopped into the boat, hiding her head and whimpering. It was so _childish_. Like she thought they couldn't see her if she couldn't see them?

After a few moments, she cautiously peered up at Bando over the rim. Leon smiled. She looked so… _cute_. There was no way she coul—

The *thud* made everyone except for Bando jump.

The reason he didn't jump is because he was the one who had caused the noise.

The reason Nyu jumped is because it was her head being _kicked_. Blood flew from a fresh wound in her scalp, spattering on the boat. There was no doubt she was unconscious.

"**What the _hell _was that?**" Leon shouted angrily, stepping forward. Bando whirred around and took aim at him, but Leon's combination of reflexes and shock took over. The rifle was yanked from Bando's hands and immediately rammed into his faceplate, shattering it.

Recovering from the blow, he growled at Leon. Their eyes met for the first time. Each one held the other's stare. They both, for a moment, saw the strength possessed by their counterpart. Bando with his raw force, Leon with his focused finesse.

This went on uncomfortably long, before Bando huffed and turned back towards the boat. Leon joined him, looking down at the poor girl. The Diclonius had blood pooling around her head, but still appeared to be breathing.

"What a waste…" Bando muttered, walking away from the scene, "Raito. Tie her up."

"Yessir." The soldier who had been assaulted earlier called back, jogging towards Leon and the boat.

Bando was removing his helmet and lighting a cigarette. Leon sighed and walked off to join the other three men, who had done very little besides spectate this whole time. In his head he worked out the numbers of what he was about to attempt.

xxxxx

"So, you're a world-famous assassin?" One of the soldiers asked curiously.

"Yep."

"Anyone you killed that I would recognize?"

"Yep."

There was a moment of silence during which it was debated in the man's head whether Leon was clever or a jackass. He tried again.

"…Who have you killed that I know?

Leon smirked and looked around. Bando was struggling to get a lighter working in the downpour. The soldier, Raito, was fiddling in the boat, and suddenly looked surprised about something. The rest of the men were gathered around, looking expectantly at Leon.

_It was a scene that had played out before, come to think of it. In an apartment building in the United States, before this whole mess with the Diclonius. _

Raito and the boat exploded. More accurately, they were ripped to shreds and flung in all directions. Blood, sand, and pieces of metal soared into the air and came to rest several feet away from where they had originally been. Before the men could react, Leon answered their previous question.

"You."

There was a strange crunching noise, and the curious soldier's eyes went blank. He slumped to the ground, dead. As he fell, Leon caught his rifle and leapt to the side, aiming at the other two troops. Bullets tore at the flesh of their legs, and the one who had managed to get his rifle unslung promptly lost it as he and his ally fell to the sand.

Bando had quicker reaction time than the rest, and both he and Leon dived for their respective pieces of cover.

From the debris where Raito had been standing moments prior rose the Diclonius. Blood trickled down her face, which was no longer sweet or innocent. Just very… unamused.

Through the shadow cast by her hair, a single eye stared back at Leon. It was unnerving in it's depth; completely lacking in compassion and seething with rage. However, Leon had a default method for dealing with angry.

He flashed a smile and waved.

"Sorry about the head wound! I paid him back for it already," he pointed towards Bando, peering disbelievingly out from behind his cover, "but you're definitely entitled to return the favor yourself!"

This earned no response from the girl, who Leon had a feeling was _definitely_ Lucy. But she did turn her eyes upon the shocked Bando, who unslung his rifle and unloaded on her.

Leon stared in awe as the bullets pinged ineffectively off the air around her, then he noticed something else strange. The rain was impacting and sliding along the air above Lucy. Her vectors… it was quite a strange display of their practicality. Bullet-proof vest _and_ raincoat in one!

Two large pieces of debris were uprooted from the piles of junk around Lucy, and lifted into the air. Poor Bando looked on, mouth agape. Leon didn't blame him, especially if he had been given absolutely _no_ info about vectors before being sent on this mission. _Which… Leon found somewhat disturbing. He'd have a chat with his employer about that later._

His ponderings were interrupted by one of the large pieces of metal being hurled his direction. Both of them dove for new pieces of cover as their previous ones were demolished by trash flying at high speeds.

Leon had rolled to his feet and found a new hiding spot, but Bando had clambered up and was unleashing another hail of gunfire on Lucy. "WHY WON'T YOU DIEEE?"

Still the projectiles bounced harmlessly off of the air in front of her, and when Bando's rifle emitted the *_click click*_ of an empty clip, she saw her chance to strike again.

Her invisible arms actually _were_ visible in a sense, as Leon could see the rain moving around them. Bando must've noticed this too, as he dove out of the way just in time to avoid one of them slamming into the ground where he had been an instant prior.

As he ran for a new piece of garbage to hide behind, Leon looked on in horror as Lucy walked almost casually over to the two soldiers whose legs he had shot out from under them. They were silent, with a classic 'deer-in-headlights' look on their faces. One of them mustered the courage to try and fight, and did his best to point his weapon at her.

The… fountain of blood. Leon had seen the _aftermath_ of a Diclonius ripping people apart, but the actual tearing off of a man's head was much different. Crimson fluid came forth like a geyser from the soldier's stump, and his decapitated head hovered up into the air while Lucy knelt down in front of the second man.

Leon couldn't hear the exchange of words; he didn't even know if there was one or if the soldier was just babbling and begging. Regardless, his head was torn off and floated up to join the other.

The faces turned to and fro, as Lucy prepared to throw them. As the extinguished flame in their eyes - the mist of death an assassin saw _so_ often yet dreaded _so_ much - passed over Leon, he did his best to remain focused on surviving rather than vomiting.

While Leon was ready to dodge an incoming cranium, Bando had a brighter idea. He turned and fled through the piles of trash.

A lot happened that next second, blatantly obvious as well as below the surface. Lucy shot a glance towards Leon, which he met with the unfalteringly confident look of a man who means no harm. The severed heads fell to the beach, and all four of Lucy's vectors turned their attention towards the fleeing Bando.

On either side of the man, large metal barrels, fishing nets, crates, and other rubbish all came tumbling down in a messy attempt at crushing him. When he reached the end of the aisle between trash heaps, Bando disappeared around the corner.

Leon was actually quite nervous about what ability Lucy displayed next. Soda cans and wooden slivers were suspended in front of her, turning towards Bando. Sure, she could drop and throw things - but the unmistakable sound of gunfire hitting the soldier's cover came not from guns, but from the small projectiles. The force with which they impacted was astounding; they even tore their way through metal.

There was a brief pause during which Bando's head briefly poked out of cover. The hail of makeshift bullets began again, but when Lucy ran out of ammunition, Bando's laugh was audible over the ever-present rain. Leon knew the only things that could bring about the man's laughter were a psychotic breakdown… or he figured out what Lucy's 'secret weapons' were. But that didn't give him any more of an advantage, right? Besides, Lucy now had a shipping container hanging in the air.

Leon blinked. She was fast; it had only taken her a few seconds to silently scoop up the giant hunk of metal. It was thrown, and not-so-gracefully came crashing back to earth. Next was a racing boat covered in year's worth of sludge, pulled from its resting place in the sand.

"You know, this is actually kinda _fun_!" Bando hollered from somewhere out of sight, before the boat detonated. Leon had to duck to escape the rain of metal and fiberglass. _A grenade launcher?_

There was silence. The debris from where Bando had fired was promptly dissected and crushed, but the soldier was nowhere to be seen.

For almost a minute the only noise was the cold rain. Leon considered his options. _He could keep quiet, because Lucy probably wouldn't take kindly to him revealing himself, even though he hadn't done anything to her. Would she attack him if he offered-_

There was a noise from Leon's right, near an overturned refrigerator. Leon knew what was coming, and distanced himself. Lucy heard this sound too, and began strolling towards the noise. In her path were the three dead soldiers that had been questioning Leon. As she came to them, she knelt and…_ picked up one of their rifles!_

Bando stood up behind the refrigerator, mouth open and ready to spew some form of mockery, when he noticed Lucy holding the gun and aiming directly at him.

"_Th-that's cheating!"_ were the last words he uttered before the gunfire tore up his side, from his waist to his shoulder. He dropped his weapon, and collapsed backwards onto the wet beach.

xxxxx

Lucy's stroll towards the fallen soldier was as slow and unemotional as ever. Bando desperately struggled reach the last few inches for his gun, but was losing a lot of blood fast. She was now straddling him, looking down upon him as he panted in defeated.

Leon removed himself from cover, and silently positioned himself in plain sight of Lucy, but far enough away to be somewhat safe. She glanced up for a moment, and resigned to let him be out of either curiosity or so that she'd have something to play with when she finished with her current prey.

"Do you enjoy this?"

Leon looked up. It was the first time Lucy had spoken since she started using her vectors. Wondering what she could be referring to, he noticed that from where he was sitting, Bando had an… interesting angle right up her shorts. It could be that.

_Unless… she was talking to Leon?_

Noone said a word. Lucy shifted her gaze up to him.

"Me?" Leon replied confusedly.

"Do you enjoy watching these humans die? You have not done anything to help them or save yourself. So you get some pleasure or benefit from seeing them slaughtered."

She spoke so flatly, as opposed to Leon's persistent personality, which he tried to tune down so as to not annoy her. "They had orders to capture you, as did I. They... failed."

"If you have the same goals, why didn't you shoot, why not try anything? You'll soon regret your inaction."

"I'm sure I'd regret my action more." he smiled.

His smile caused none of her features to shift. "So why betray them?"

"I have had... second thoughts about you. About my life, as a matter of fact. As for these men... they put their orders on hold thinking they might be able to rape and abuse you. I think such a choice merits death."

She lowered her gaze back to Bando, "_There _we are in agreement."

"_You.. __**BITCH!**_" Bando coughed, finally getting a hold of his gun and raising it. In an instant, his lower arm was cleanly shaven off at the elbow, resulting in even more places for blood to flow out of him onto the sand. His pained and pitiful roar rang through the night; that of a man who had never known defeat… only to be beaten by a girl with bright pink hair and shorts.

He reached up with his remaining arm, "YOU BITCH, YOU DAMN BITCH! HOW DARE YOU CUT OFF MY—"

The sound of bones breaking was never one that Leon could get used to, but this time he saw it coming. Still, he flinched. It was like the sound of a steamroller going over a kitten. Repeatedly. _Not that he'd ever heard such a thing…_

Pulled from his thoughts by the blood curdling scream, Leon decided to speak up again. "He deserved the first one for trying to shoot you, but don't you think you should just... end it?"

"No." The arm snapped jaggedly in the other direction, producing more horrific cracks.

But Bando was becoming furious, ignoring the blinding pain he must've felt. He screamed in rage, "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU DO_! I'LL FIND YOU_! JUST YOU WATCH ME! I'LL FIND YOU AND TEAR YOUR **GODDAMN** HEARTS OUT! BOTH OF YOU!" He coughed violently, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, "YOU WILL _**DIE**_!"

He paused to catch his breath, and when Lucy's vectors lowered to his face his eyes widened in surprise. Which was convenient, because the thumbs of her invisible hands were unceremoniously shoved into his tear glands, scooping and crushing the two delicate optical organs. The now blind Bando swiped furiously at her with his stump and broken arm, letting loose an inaudible string of profanities. This went on for a while longer.

"Fun time's over." Lucy whispered, gripping the man's neck with her vectors and slowly crushing it. Leon watched in disgust as she went about her business, but she never got around to finishing.

In his flailing, Bando's broken limb managed to brush against Lucy's tightened fist. This made her jump slightly, and then she lifted her hand and opened her palm. Inside she found the object she had been tightly clinging too since Leon first spotted her. The seashell she had dug up for Kohta...

He watched as her expression morphed, and she gripped her head, stumbling backwards. She had been torturing Bando in a relatively clear spot, but was about to fall over into a heap of trash. Leon had no clue if there was anything that would actually hurt her, but a lot of the junk looked metallic.

Without a prayer or bit of logical thinking, he rocketed forward and caught her before she fell. Still she clutched her skull, screaming in pain. Leon eased himself down to the ground and let her lay across his lap. He whispered words of comfort, only now realizing that she could lop him to pieces any second.

She managed to open her eyes for a moment, and he saw the change occur within them. The pained and scarred eyes were replaced with the peaceful and innocent ones he had first seen her with, which slowly closed as she lost consciousness. He now knew what her situation was…

_Her... personality had been split in half._

Positioning his arms under her, Leon lifted her and began to walk away from the scene of the carnage. Bando's screams faded behind him… the man would bleed out soon enough, but this girl was also bleeding. And she was more important.

The rain began to _finally_ soften, which Leon couldn't help but consider symbolic as well. Now he was stuck walking down the road with an unconscious killer in his arms, needing to make a decision.

That boy, Kohta… he would've died for this girl. And they were embracing each other. But… that was the peaceful personality. Did the other one even know about Kohta? She had to… as soon as Lucy looked at the shell in her hand, she changed. But if she wasn't aware, then putting her back with the boy would be endangering him…

On the other hand, giving Lucy to the researchers would guarantee safety for the people of this town, and those who knew her. Leon could easily lie about what had happened to the men. He'd be free to what he wants after that... he could take more jobs or even _retire_ if he wanted to! Move somewhere quiet, where Lucy could go outside without worrying about her horns... it'd be wonderful.

Leon looked down at the unconscious Diclonius. Lily would be waiting for him at home after this long day…

He had fallen in love with the Diclonius... It's possible that Kohta had as well.

And... Leon had no right to step in and tear apart a relationship involving one of these girls, who so rarely got to experience happiness.

He'd lie. He'd tell them... Yes, he shot her with the dart containing the drug, but she had faked getting hit by it. She waited until everyone was distracted, and then she tore them all apart. Leon had fought hard, he really did. He even had her on the run, pursuing her across the beach. But she had fled the town... disappeared into the wilderness around Kamakura. Getting as far from civilization as she could.

It was... perfect. They'd have no way to prove him wrong, and no way to track her.

So that just meant... leaving Lucy with Kohta. Hopefully the boy was smart enough to keep her hidden from society.

Leon looked up. He had wandered absentmindedly to the door of the inn where Kohta and Yuka lived… apparently his body had decided even before he had.

Resigning himself to the future, whatever it may bring, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

xxxxx

Took longer than planned because I wanted to figure out some future plot bits and watch some of the episodes so I could decide on what to include. :D

Chapter 10 will be the end of this sort of "introductory" arc, I suppose. Leon has acquired Lily... and they are the two elements changing the standard storyline of the series. Then some romance shall begin. And some... other things.

I would really appreciate... I dunno, maybe a little, minuscule, diminutive, tiny **_review_**! It would just make the world a brighter place, is all. xD

-TN


	11. Chapter 10: Silence Before the Storm

Leon was nervous. He had knocked on the door, and it was opened by a distressed looking Yuka. Behind her stood Kohta, who thankfully was fine except for a cut below the eye.

They were relieved to see Lucy, but met Leon with hostile glances, which soon became accusatory words when they saw the nasty wound on her head.

"Who _are_ you?" Kohta asked angrily, "What happened to Nyu?"

Leon noticed a few things. They called the girl 'Nyu'. Seeing as that was the only word she seemed capable of saying before she turned violent, he assumed they must've chosen it as a name for her.

But Leon saw something else in Kohta's expression. His eyes were lit up in anger, but he also started mouthing words, and glancing at Yuka. Leon got the point; he didn't want Yuka to find anything out about the soldiers. So he would have to shape his answers around that.

"Alright, well… My name is Leon. I'm… a…" Leon probed for the right word, "Scientist! A unique kind of scientist! This girl you have here is.. _she is_ _special_. Her story is about as colorful as her hair, one might say, and even I know next to nothing about her."

"And… what _happened_ to her? Where did you find her?" Kohta muttered, and Leon could tell by his tone that he needed to just make something up to put Yuka at ease.

"She slipped and fell in the rain; the wound shouldn't be too bad. She was unconscious near the beach when I happened to spot her."

"And what about before all this? We found her naked on that same beach a few days ago before we took her in!" Yuka was the one speaking now, obviously confused and angered by all that was going on.

"I lost track of her. I've honestly got _no _clue how she ended up here. Or naked," he paused as they met his words with doubtful stares, "I am thankful that she was found by you two and not… people who would take _advantage _of her current state!"

"So do you know what's wrong with her?" Kohta took over again, "Why she can't seem to remember anything?"

"No. I don't know. I haven't known her long at all, you two probably no more than me at this point," Leon started towards the door, "Regardless, she'll be safe with you two. I'll.. drop by tomorrow maybe, and we can discuss her more then. Mmkay?"

He smiled and looked at the two whom he was leaving Lucy with. Neither seemed to put much faith in his lies, but they didn't want him hanging around either. The door clicked shut, and Leon began the trek back to the comfort of Lily's company.

xxxxx

The streets began looking emptier and emptier as Leon made his way into the poor district where he had decided to live. They never were that bustling, but he had an uneasy feeling. Rounding a corner, his home came into view, and all of his worries became justified.

The door had been bashed off its hinges and the windows shattered. Everything was quiet…

Breathing fast and fearing the worst, Leon drew his handgun and pulled back the slide. It clicked reassuringly, and he lifted it to his eye as he made his way through the door frame.

The silence. There was that normal, peaceful silence as you read a book or otherwise went about your business. Then there was this silence. The kind experienced late in the night when you're alone with your painful thoughts, the kind experienced as you walk through the woods before a storm, the kind… that seems to creep in when you come home to find fresh blood splattered across the walls.

Leon gazed around himself at the limbs and torsos and hollow-eyed faces. He couldn't even tell how many people there must have been, the pieces were so mutilated.

"Lily!" His call shattered the thick silence. But there came no response.

Slowly, he made his way from room to room, scanning each one with his gun raised, ears alert and heart pounding with each step.

Finally, the bedroom. The large futon was lying sprawled across the floor, but it wasn't what attracted his eyes. In the center of the room lay a man with his pants around his ankles. His head had been messily crushed, but remained attached to his neck.

Leon vaguely recognized the few identifiable pieces of the man's face. He had seen it this morning, clad in leather and waiting outside his house._ It was the gang he had scared off…_

He whirred at the sound of something flying through the air, but his vision clouded with bright stars as he felt himself being flung across the room. With effort, Leon attempted to stand up, but something was holding his arms and legs back; he couldn't even turn his head.

It took a few moments for his eyesight to return, and he found himself staring at Lily. The girl's clothes were entirely missing apart from her underwear, and just about every inch of her was soaked in fresh blood.

He did his best to speak, to express how thankful he was for her being alive. But his voice was gone… his neck had a slowly tightening grip around it. He attempted to gasp, but couldn't breathe at all.

Using every ounce of control as he felt himself nearing unconsciousness, he dryly croaked, "Li…ly…"

The pressure was removed, but only from his neck. Leon coughed and inhaled deeply several times to push back the darkness that had encroached on his mind due to lack of oxygen.

"Thank God! Thank Zues! Thank… Chuck Norris!" He laughed, still focusing on his breathing, "I was so worried, I was afraid you…"

He stopped. While speaking, he had glanced up at Lily's face, and what he found staring back was terrifying.

Her eyes… normally so soft and innocent, curious yet knowing… were gone, replaced by pinned pupils that burrowed into Leon's own pair.

"Lily! Lily, please, it's me, Leon! You're safe now, I'm here!"

"_Safe_!" she laughed in an almost crazed fashion, "You take me out of a stark white prison where I can **never **hope for a better future… and put me in a new prison with nothing **_but_ **hope! Completely unachievable, and completely incapable of actions, it's almost worse… and with people trying to hurt me… _again_… _all over again_…"

Leon fell to the floor, and he ran to catch Lily as she folded up in tears.

"Lily… don't worry, everything is over… We can leave now, just you and me…"

He couldn't tell if the words sunk in or not. Lily lay curled up on the futon where a gang leader had tried to rape her, only to be torn to shreds along with his followers. As much as Leon wanted to stay by her side and hold her, the sounds of Fate echoed through the house from the street outside. Kissing Lily on the head, he left the room and made his way to the front door.

xxxxx

Stepping into the cheery sunlight, which Leon no longer saw as symbolic, he was greeted by a large mass of the scum of the streets. There must have been thirty of them. Boys with tough lives, turned to running with a gang that Leon had happened to tick off that morning. _ And they were all about to die for seeking revenge…_

Most, if not all, had bats or knives of some sort, but Leon couldn't spot any guns. As long as they were required to get _close_, the battle would invariably go in his favor.

There had been a general murmuring and shouting of insults, but this subsided when Leon lifted a hand into the air. He ran his eyes over the crowd one more time, and began.

"Alright! So you're all understandably _confused_ and _upset_ about the piles of body parts and pools of blood behind me," He stopped while fists clenched with rage, "I mean, you probably **knew** a lot of those people…"

Finally, someone charged. From the back of the group came a wiry boy in a grimy white shirt. His weapon, a kitchen knife, was in an extended arm as he barreled towards Leon. _Absolutely no technique or plan, just acting out of rage._

The boy drew closer… closer… and then made the leap to cut deep into Leon's gut. Leon moved forward, grasping the knife wielding fist with both of us own hands. He lifted this over his head, ducked under so that he was now standing beside the boy, and naturally lowered his hands.

There came a sickening meaty sound as the blade sank into intestines, and the boy collapsed. Leon turned back to the horde.

"_Phew_! Wonder how many of you knew him? I know that was **quick**, but believe me, he lasted longer than _**ANY**_ of your friends from earlier!"

Two came this time, only one armed, and with a bat at that. A third had second thoughts about joining the charge upon seeing Leon's wide grin.

The hoodlum with the bat had it clasped between his hands above his head; he was going to try and bring it crashing down right through Leon. But a knee flew into his open stomach, then both wrists were taken into Leon's hands and twisted, snapping quite musically.

The bat fell, but Leon shoved his first victim to the ground and snatched it out of the air, turning and connecting the end of the metal shaft full force with the second person's face. This man flipped head over heels, probably dead, and Leon was free to focus on the whimpering and coughing individual who had so handily provided the metal beating instrument. He paused for another speech; the crowd was really seething, and only needed a little more coercion.

"You know, kids, this fellow is _a lot_ like all of you in a way!" He laughed loudly, "Weak, and incapable of amounting to _**anything**_ even in this most basic and barbaric of lifestyles he has chosen! Listen to him beg!"

Leon felt no pleasure in what he was doing, but it was all for the safety of himself and Lily. Everyone here had chosen their path - his just happened to be the one that would win.

The bat was brought down, deforming meat and cracking bones as the poor man sought cover under his arms. Lifted, and brought down again. And again. And again. Finally, a wet *_splash_* signified that Leon had succeeded in shattering the skull. He held up the bat, dripping blood.

"Well, so much for that. Anyone else want to experience the career path of a piñata?"

_Just as he had hoped, they all charged at once…_

xxxxx

This last one had not a glimmer of hope in his eyes, which darted nervously around at the corpses of his former comrades. Leon stood patiently, prodding at a body with his shoe. The boy must've recognized the cadaver, because with tears in his eyes, he let out a primal scream and ran at him, knife raised. The blade was quickly snatched, and Leon used the person's momentum to spin him around so that he could be securely held.

"I am so sorry… about everything. Rest in peace."

Leon released the limp man, and then dropped the crimson blade. He looked around. _So many bodies that could've amounted to so much more_… But Leon could take no risks. And if they had experienced such hardship during life that they had turned to crime, perhaps Death's simplicity and comfort would at last put them at peace.

Leon stooped to say a few words to the one he had disrespectfully poked at with his shoe, and then moved aside a leg that had come to rest on another's face. Sure, it made no difference to them now, but Leon had to respect the dead. After all, he created so many of them…

"_Y-You k-killed them all!_"

Leon whirred around to face a slightly overweight kid who appeared to be in the same gang as all the others. In his hand he clutched a bottle of alcohol with a gasoline soaked rag sticking out of the top. Clicking open a lighter, he set the rag ablaze and took aim at Leon.

"Now, kid, are you sure you want your last moments to consist of an angry man strangling you while on **_FIRE_**?"

The chubby boy thought for a minute, and reaching a better conclusion, hurled the Molotov cocktail into a nearby house.

_Which… happened to be Leon's._

"You are a _really_ dumb kid. Go home." Leon withdrew his pistol and fired it at the boy's boot, probably blowing off a toe. After a yelp, the obese child ran off, leaving his life of crime behind.

A fire was now raging inside his home, and Leon knew that the fancy modern woodwork would burn far too nicely. After a sigh, he took a deep breath and dove into the building.

Running through the flames looked far easier in movies; in reality, a harsh wall of heat made the body reflexively turn away. Fortunately, Leon was quite good at honing and sometimes ignoring reflexes… and he made it back to the bedroom.

Exchanging the fresh outdoor air for the musky, blood scented smoke, Leon gasped and scooped up Lily. The girl's eyes were open, but he couldn't tell if she was aware. Shielding her as best he could, he made his way back through the inferno and emerged into the sunlight once more.

He began walking away from the scene of the massacre carrying his only friend and romantic interest, soaked in blood and clad only in her lower undergarments.

An old lady, who had been walking on this most pleasant of days, noticed the bodies strewn around the street and stood mouth agape.

"They all just started _tripping _and accidentally hitting each other! The wind must've been _fierce_!" Leon called to her with exaggerated earnestness, making his way down the road.

xxxxx

The door swung open to reveal Leon with a desperate toothy smile. "Sorry to intrude, but it appears that a gang of marauding **bastards **has burnt down my home and…" He looked down at Lily, "Got my.. girlfriend a bit dirty."

Yuka sighed, and begrudgingly made room for Leon to squeeze past. _She hardly seemed surprised by Lily's horns, which were absolutely huge compared to Lucy's… er, _Nyu_'s._

"This day can't get any more bizarre, and I've said that three times since this morning," she groaned, "There is a bathroom down the hall next to the stairs… get her cleaned up yourself. I assume she doesn't need an ambulance if you came here instead of the hospital…?"

Leon blushed, "Eh? Oh, _uh_, _er_, yes! I'll do that. Most of the blood isn't even hers," He paused upon seeing the curious look this garnered from Yuka, "Thank you!"

xxxxx

The inn really was a beautiful building. That warm, simple look possessed by many older Japanese structures. And while there wasn't a whole room devoted to being a spa, it still possessed a sizeable tub that could apparently be filled from an underground hot spring.

Leon set Lily down on a towel while he got to work filling the tub. Buckets of steaming water had to be poured in one at a time, but this didn't take too long. The whole time however, he kept nervously glancing in the girl's direction. Her eyes were open, and she occasionally blinked… but nothing more. Finally, he approached her.

"Umm… Lily… the blood doesn't match your eyes too well, I'm afraid we'll have to wash it off," he smiled, trying unsuccessfully to get any sort of reaction from her, "I… I'm sorry about this, I'll try not to look at anything."

_He bent over and gently straightened her legs, and then moved his hands up to her thighs…_

Leon straightened his back and took a few deep breaths, nervously cracked his neck, and bent over for a second attempt.

_He wrapped his fingers around the two strings that supported Lily's underwear, slowly tugging the fabric off._

Bolting upright again, Leon did a quick stroll around the tub to calm his nerves. He discarded the panties he had been absentmindedly gripping on the floor and turned back to Lily.

Focusing on her face so as to keep his eyes from wandering, he carefully positioned his hands under the girl and lifted her up. Moving to the water filled basin, he blushed as his hand sank into the soft flesh of her thighs. Finally, with a sigh of relief, he slipped Lily's legs under the surface and adjusted her so that she was sitting up. Blood, dried and otherwise, drifted off and dissolved, discoloring the water slightly.

Leon had honestly thought that the warm water would cause Lily to stir, but still she remained silent. Holding her shoulder so as to prevent her from falling over, he leaned towards her ear, drawing her hair away from it while he whispered, "_Come one, Lily… _Please talk to me. What happened back there was my fault, and I took care of it. We… may be stuck here a while, but there are some good people, and another girl like you."

Finally, some sort of reaction occurred. At the mention of another Diclonius, Lily's brow furrowed slightly.

Leon kept talking, trying to get more from her, "Yes, she's got horns too, and… the boy, Kohta, seems to have a bit of interest in her. Good kid, if somewhat stupid."

Nothing came of his continued speaking, but he made a final attempt regardless. _There was one topic he could still use…_

"This place has a beautiful garden outside, too; I'd like to take you out there once we get you clean and in some fresh clothes. What do you think of that?"

"_Leon…_" Lily finally whispered.

"Yes?" He eagerly responded, overjoyed to hear her voice again.

"You… are _dirty_ too, aren't you…?"

Leon blinked once or twice, and examined the state of his own outfit. His standard white t-shirt and jeans combo had several shades of blood in various patterns splashed across it. Still, he didn't quite understand what Lily was getting at.

"I suppose I am, hadn't noticed that. I guess when we get you done—"

"_Why waste the water…?"_

Leon felt the sensation of being lifted into the air, one he was sad to say was becoming quite familiar. But this time it was done tentatively, and he was suspended above the tub, unable to move his arms and legs.

"_N-Now, wait what?"_

Invisible hands tugged and pulled at his shirt, roughly yanking it off over his shoulders. Lily was unfamiliar with the concept of zippers and buttons it seemed, so the jeans were uncomfortably shed and discarded in a distant corner.

Leon, the world famous assassin, was wide-eyed, red faced, and helpless as Lily eyed his exposed skin with an unimaginably seductive gaze. Her stare started on his face, drifted over his refined upper torso and abdomen, finally ending up on his favorite bright red boxers.

"_Y-You know, I, uh, tend to bathe with these on! Just saying!"_

"_Oh well…"_

The underwear were torn off and flung across the room, and Leon fell into the steamy waters of the basin, babbling uncontrollably as Lily pulled him tight against her.

Her hands, real and otherwise, began probing all corners and… _points_… of his body. Feeling all the pent up sexual tension shatter in an instant, he returned the favor.

_Not a word was uttered as they sank into the water…_

xxxxx

Phew, need a cold shower after that bit.

_La amor de mi vida_ has no access to a computer for a week, thus I will probably spend every moment sleeping or writing. Fascinating! :D

So I suppose that's it for the first part of this story, if there was such a division. The inn, with an apparently infinite number of rooms for psychotic individuals, has gained a few more residents.

The... chillingly grotesque fight scene is semi-based off of a real incident involving a mugger two or three years back. **UNFORTUNATELY**, the hottub bit is NOT based off of a real incident! xD

So there we have it, my story is finally getting some girth to it in terms of length. As readers, you are obligated to contribute to the process by writing me a **_review_**!

-TN


	12. Chapter 11: Why Do You Care?

Leon pushed open the doors of the bathroom, letting the current of steam pour out across the floor and through the air. At his side was Lily, experiencing her first ever bout of post-coital joy. The two were beaming, and holding each other tightly. Despite all the uncertainties and lies… they trusted one another completely. Strange.

"I never took you for such a…" He waved a hand, trying to pick the right word out from between less polite terms like 'slut' and 'nympho', "_Naughty_ individual!"

"I don't know what I was thinking, but… I'm glad. And I won't say sorry! You should have seen your face!" She grinned up at him. _Oh dear… she knew what his 'O-face' was like. Not even he knew that!_

"Well, we're lucky the walls are so thick – you were giving your vocal cords a good work out!" he paused, laughing at her blush, "but don't worry; I've never heard such a… _pleasant _noise. That was the best twenty minutes of my life!"

They continued walking, wrapped in their towel, searching for the two young owners so that they could get some clothes. _The scene played over again in both their heads…_

The two of them had managed quite an… _acrobatic _display of passion. Her invisible arms and luscious body, his honed stamina and flexibility. Leon tried to push the images out of his head, seeing as the towel would do very little to disguise him if he became too excited. Lily, however, had no such decency. She looked at him out of the corners of her eyes with that same animalistic hunger, no doubt planning another round the next time they were alone…

The two of them finally found the rest in a side room bordered on three sides with shelves. A large window on the other revealed that it was still only evening… _damn this was a long day._

Leon noticed that Nyu had managed to attain some new clothes, and a winter hat was cleverly pulled down over her small horns. The girl was staring at Leon with a worried expression… _she didn't remember him saving her, she only remembered him standing alongside those who had hurt her._

Yuka was standing alongside Kohta near one of the shelves with an arm around his hunched figure. The boy stood solemnly with a far-off look in his eyes. In an open palm he held the seashell that Nyu had so desperately clung to on the beach.

He deposited this swiftly and turned to speak, "My cousin said your house just burned down? And you've brought another girl like Nyu…" He paused and sighed, reaching a conclusion, "You can stay tonight, maybe a few days. But only if you help out around the inn, and only if you answer a _lot_ of questions I have…"

"Whatever you wish. I had been thinking on my way over here… I've decided that I want to help you keep this girl of yours safe. I've come to understand," Leon brushed Lily's hair out of her face softly, "What _situation_ I could help create in doing so. And believe me… with lives like these girls have lived, that's just what they need."

Kohta regarded him for a few more moments, then turned to his cousin, "Yuka… want to lend them some clothes and show them to one of the rooms?"

She nodded silently and looked over at Nyu, whose eyes had been darting between speakers confusedly. Beckoning for Leon and Lily to follow, they started out of the room.

xxxxx

Leon stretched awkwardly in Kohta's shirt. The boy was a bit… not really overweight, but not quite thin either. And he was shorter than Leon. The result was a somehow both baggy and tight fit, but looked fine.

Lily on the other hand… Yuka had tried providing some of her own shirts, but Lily was… _very_ _well endowed_. This resulted in a humorously jealous scoff from Yuka, before she went off to fetch some of Nyu's clothes.

The two of them waited patiently, but their eyes soon gravitated to one another. Lily had come to realize that her shapeliness produced quite the _reaction_ from Leon, and she flared open the towels that covered her body. She smiled at Leon's wide-eyed surprise before hastily shutting down the show when Yuka reentered.

"Here's one of Nyu's…" She paused to raise an eyebrow at the couple's mutual blush, "Shirts…? The two of you look about the same… _size_."

"Thank you... Yuka..." Lily muttered awkwardly, trying to convey appreciation even though she had little knowledge of the delicateness of their situation.

"Just… try to get settled you two. We'll be making some dinner in a little while. If either of you know how to cook, I'd appreciate any help."

Leon perked up and grinned, "I know a thing or two."

Yuka looked a bit worried by his enthusiasm, but faked a smile and departed.

Left to themselves, Leon quietly glanced over at Lily. She had discarded the towel and was slowly sliding into the new outfit, graciously offering the best angles as she did so. Finally getting everything on, she walked around a bit, and satisfied with the feel of things, turned to be evaluated by Leon.

He looked her up and down, smiling. She looked perfectly normal… no one could've guessed that she had been chained up less than a week ago.

Then his eyes stopped upon her horns. The two white spears. He had brushed one with his hand while they had been vigorously… _playing_ in the bath, nearly killing the mood. Her… hand was quick to find _his _'horn', though, and things were put back on track. But in all seriousness, they made it absolutely impossible to even consider taking Lily anywhere public.

"You look beautiful," he told her truthfully, "but… do you think there is anything we can do about the horns? So that you can come with me whenever I head out? I don't suppose they could be filed down, could they…?"

Her smile at his initial comment soon disappeared as she pondered his question, "I… can still feel them near the base of each, but I think we can… try and remove most of them without it hurting," she strolled over and laced her arms around his neck, "but on a funner note… I've been thinking about our earlier experience…"

Leon interrupted with a nervous laugh, "Earlier? That was only a little over five minutes ago… a man needs time to, uh, _recharge_."

Lily pouted, which he found ridiculously cute, and she flirtily whispered to him, "I suppose I can wait a little while… think you could manage before we go to bed?"

"Most definitely!" He grinned, "In the meantime, though, you haven't eaten in hours. Let's go see if I can help out with dinner, mmkay?"

xxxxx

Leon was more than pleased to take over cooking the meal to repay the two for their troubles. Yuka originally had asked him to cut vegetables while she cooked, but once he got settled into his usual routine of performing, she had backed off and let him take over entirely.

Metal glistened and flashed as he speedily cut with one hand and seasoned and flipped the… unidentified meat with his other hand. The four others each looked on, impressed, and he decided to add it to it by striking up conversation as well.

He removed his eyes from his work and casually addressed Yuka, "So you both live here with, uh, Nyu?"

Yuka looked a bit uneasy, but it was obvious that Leon knew how to handle knives. _Not that this helped with the uneasiness._ "No, actually… I've got an apartment across town."

Leon furrowed his brow, and had to turn back to the knife in order to keep it under control. "Oh? Er, I don't mean to intrude, I'm very thankful you've offered me shelter. But is that alright with you Kohta? It's a big place, and I know you've got questions but…"

"Believe me, I'd be very worried if I didn't already trust your intentions. And I wouldn't be able to turn you away when you know a girl like Nyu. But yes, I do-" Kohta cut in, before being interrupted himself by Lily.

"I'm right here, you know." She meekly piped up, offended by the boy talking about her like she wasn't there.

"Uhh, sorry about that. Your name is.. Lily?" After she nodded her head and smiled, he continued, "Forgive me, but…_ what are you_?"

Lily was about to offer up the best response she could manage, but Leon abruptly stopped his work and turned. "She is just a human with horns, as far as I can tell. And believe me, I've asked about her past. She remembers nothing."

Lily shot him a confused glance, which he responded to with a quick wink. _Thankfully, Lily understood…_

"That's… about right." She nervously coughed, "I don't know why I have horns… or why you _don't_; whichever the case may be."

"And how do you two know each other?" Kohta persisted with a meaningful glare directed at Leon.

Setting down his cutlery, Leon carefully slid the main dish onto a platter. "She was in an… unpleasant situation when I found her. But that is personal, and has nothing to do with the answers you truly seek," he lied, "As for why we're still together… love finds a way."

Lily blushed intensely and lowered her head in embarrassment. Leon grinned and began slicing at the roast.

xxxxx

"So… Leon? What is it that you _do_?"

Leon looked up from his meal, raising an eyebrow at the hostile stare he was receiving from the boy.

"You asked me before, and I don't really know. _Scientist _was the closest I could think of, but still pretty damn far from being descriptive." He chuckled, relishing in the agitated look this earned him, "In any case, I'm afraid it's not a topic fit for dinner."

"You _said_ that you would answer any of my questions!"

Leon sighed and looked up again, tilting his head slightly towards Yuka, who was busy looking at Kohta with concern. _Can't this guy take a hint?_

Still, he decided to give an earnest reply, "As of now, I suppose I'm unemployed. Tomorrow I'll try and head out to tell my superiors that I've… _quit_. So I'd appreciate it if you don't force me to lie. Mmkay?"

Kohta gave up for now, and went to take a bite of his meal. As he opened his mouth, however, his face contorted and he began twitching.

_Leon blissfully gazed in awe at the final bite of the roast… The whole thing had been good, but this piece had more seasoning, more juices…_

He opened his mouth…

"_AAAAAHHHCHOOFLRBL!"_

Kohta wiped at his nose and coughed once or twice. The sneeze had been pretty directionally linear. Leon… felt a fine mist settle on him and, undoubtedly, his savory final piece of food. He dropped it with a grunt, wiping at his face with his sleeve.

"Alright, we're even, you crafty bastard…"

"I'm sorry, I… the rain earlier; I think I feel a cold coming on. I'm sorry." Kohta muttered, lifting the back of his hand to his forehead to check for fever.

"You should probably call it a night soon; The bad weather and a visit to the hospital makes for a long day." Leon offered a smile, before silently cursing himself. _He let something slip..._

"How did you know he had been taken to the hospital?" Yuka asked warily.

_His mind raced. He was used to being caught in hairy situations like this though…_

"I saw him being loaded into the ambulance, but I… my priority was to guarantee the safety of Lu, er, Nyu."

"Nyuu?"

All accusations ceased, and all eyes were redirected towards Nyu, who had long ago finished her dinner and was now looking around innocently with a wide smile at the mention of her name. Leon had already tried fruitlessly to start a conversation with the girl. She was talkative, sure, but couldn't understand a word he was saying, and had none of her own.

"Strange to see her in such a way… have either of you noticed, er, has she shown any signs of remembering _anything_?" He continued.

"Not really…"Yuka sighed, gathering everyone's dishes.

"Has she even said anything besides 'nyuu'?"

Kohta smiled and stood, walking over to the girl, who also rose. "If she has, I haven't heard."

"Why do you care so much anyway, Leon?"

Leon turned and looked at Lily, confused. She sounded almost… _jealous. _Damn_._

"I'm just curious, is all." He laughed, trying to get her to relax. He rose to his feet and addressed the others, "You guys mind if the two of us head outside and take a look at the gardens? Lily hasn't managed to get outside too often lately."

Yuka, who was busy cleaning dishes across the room, called back, "Sure. I think I'm… going to start for home."

"Uh, alright, are you coming by tomorrow?" Kohta asked, almost shyly.

"Maybe. Try to keep your hands off of poor Nyu until then, okay?"

Leon and Lily each arched a brow as Kohta hastily shouted back, "Her clothes were wet! I **_had_ **my eyes shut!"

"I'll keep an eye on him, Yuka," Leon chuckled, "Travel safe!"

She regarded him cautiously, and then finally displayed her first honest smile since Leon's arrival. The door slid shut, and Leon helped Lily to her feet.

"Her… clothes were _wet_," Kohta reasoned with himself, "I don't want her getting a _cold_!"

"Well, the two of us are going to walk outside a bit. Try to resist any of your pervy temptations, mmkay?"

Leon and Lily grinned over the boy's continued babbling as they left, and emerged into the darkening world. Alone at last… _there were some things they needed to discuss._

xxxxx

"It's so beautiful…" She whispered, for about the thirtieth time.

Together they walked aimlessly around the impressive, if somewhat unkempt, garden that surrounded the inn. The star spangled sky had shown itself less than an hour after they had stepped foot outside. It was pretty, sure, but Leon couldn't help but grow weary of the garden and heavens after so long. But… lack of interest in the plants and weather was made up for by Lily's excitement. He couldn't take his eyes off of her...

Leon admitted it; he was infatuated. The new love that so many people experienced… he was just another man having his turn at it. Like any other would claim of their own, this girl, the object of his desires was 'flawless', 'unsurpassed', '_perfect_'…

But as she walked from flower to flower, bush to bush, clinging to his arm… Leon tried to analyze the situation more logically.

She was beautiful. She was a pleasure to be around. She was intelligent… in a sense of the word. She loved him, and he loved her… there was no reason to lie any longer.

"Lily. I'm a... hitman."

She turned from her exploration to regard him with an unknowing stare. Immediately, Leon broke down in embarrassment.

"I'm an assassin. A hired killer. People pay me, and I kill other people."

"I… figured that much."

Leon blinked, trying to process this.

"_What_?" he spurted, "You mean you knew and you don't… mind?"

"It's wrong, it's disgusting; but it didn't take much thinking for me to realize I wasn't much different." She sighed, "There's a reason why I was locked up…"

"The only reason they imprisoned you is because of what you are, those sick bastar—"

"Yes, but it's not like they've got people combing the country for us. I… attracted some attention, and for that I was found and captured."

Lily lowered her head and clenched her teeth, the curtain of her hair draping over her face.

_Lost in memories... turns out he wasn't the only one this happened to..._

"I know what it's like to have that kind of past trailing along behind you," Leon spoke soothingly, parting the veil that obscured her tears, "And I don't want to hear about it. Both of us are different now. You've left that behind, and I've decided to do the same."

"They hired you to kill that girl, didn't they? That Nyu?"

"They wanted me to capture Lucy, or Nyu. Whoever she is. I'm not even _absolutely _sure if the girl inside this building is the one I needed, but it doesn't matter now. I'm not turning her in."

"Those two people said that you had saved her from something. You're just rescuing everyone today, aren't you?" Lily smiled, looking up. The tears were there, but they were the last ones.

"I had a good response to that," Leon chuckled, "I was going to say that 'I'm a good person'. But I don't believe I can truthfully say that, at least not yet. For now… I'm just a reformed bad person."

"What are you going to do about the people that hired you?"

"Tomorrow. I'll head back to them tomorrow. I think I can pass off this incident with some careful words and keep everyone safe."

Lily nodded, embraced him, and like that, the conversation was over. It… went a lot better than Leon had imagined. He still needed to tell her a lot, but it was good to know that her love couldn't be phased, even by knowledge of his grim line of work.

After several moments, Lily shivered, "It's starting to get cold… think you and I could…"

Her voice trailed off, and Leon felt the now familiar sensation of her invisible hands softly massaging and stroking him all over.

Confidence restored, he gently swept Lily off her feet, earning a surprised squeal. His love in his arms, Leon headed for the inn. _And to a memorable night._

**xxxxx**

Alright, so someone has finally asked an important question, and I have finally formed an important answer: Will my story stick to the manga or the anime adaptation? Truth is, I don't plan on sticking to either. I'm _not _a sticky person! The anime cut out a bunch of unnecessary fluff, which I also plan to do. But it had it's own drawback in that it stopped about halfway through the actual story.

Now; I will go beyond into the extra arcs included in the manga, but a lot of details won't be the same. An astute reader submitted a review, and pointed out that Lucy has only a few vectors in my story, but a dozen or so in the manga (And that's about all he said, **hint-hint. ;)** ). This was honestly just a mistake on my part (I've started reading up to the section I'm actually writing - helps a lot! xD) but don't worry, seeing as this is 'fan fiction', I will take the liberty of altering a few details for your reading pleasure. A regurgitated rehash of the manga wouldn't be fun word-for-word, mmkay? :D

**~Also, all of you who have only seen the anime? A simple search for "Elfen Lied Manga" will get you the whole thing! Read it! I command you!~**

Now onto other matters: I won't update for about a week. Tis summer, and seeing as I'm a human being, I'll have plans of my own. Sorry. :-p

**BUT **you know what would just make life **AMAZING **when I get back? Something that would just make me want to _write the night away_?

******Seeing a ton of _**review**_s!******

-TN


	13. Chapter 12: Do More Good

Leon stirred groggily from his dreams, being violently shaken. He was not a morning person, but his reflexes still kicked in almost immediately. He thrust himself upwards, Lily squealing as she collapsed without him to lean against. His assailant was pinned to the wall. He stared angrily into the person's eyes, full of…

Worry. Confusion. Innocence… it was just Nyu.

"Water! Water!" The girl urgently whined, tears in her eyes.

"You can talk?" Leon muttered with interest, before realizing how sincerely distressed Nyu was, "Lily, wait here!"

"What… Eh…? Leon…?" Lily croaked from the floor, upset with the rude awakening. But he and Nyu had already run out the room.

xxxxx

"Great girl you've got here." Leon chuckled, pulling a rag from a basin of cold water. He wrung it out and lay it on Kohta's feverish forehead. Blissful relief spread across the boy's face.

Apparently that time in the rain had gotten to him; he had looked horrible the previous evening. _And he had sneezed violently onto Leon's food, but that still seemed to have been an act of retribution…_

"_She… heh… she brought me a shoe…_" Kohta laughed deliriously, before breaking into a coughing fit.

"Shut it, lad. Enjoy the cool rag." Leon snapped, before turning his attention to Nyu.

"Nyuu?"

"You talked," he raised an eyebrow at the worried looking Diclonius, "Do you remember anything…?"

He lowered his voice and mouthed the word '_Lucy'_, but her response shot down what little hope he had.

"Nyuu." She stated, sounding quite serious despite it just being gibberish.

"Ahh, oh well. Good job, Nyu. You saved the guy!" Leon laughed, earning a delighted grin from the girl. She squeaked happily and threw herself onto Kohta, surprising the boy and sending him into another round of coughing.

"Leon?"

The assassin turned to see Lily standing in the doorway, staring at the ground with a guilty look on her face.

"Lily? Are you okay? What's the matter?"

"I… don't like it when you make me wait. It's not nice…"

Satisfied that Kohta would be stable, Leon jogged over to his love, wrapping his arms around her.

"Don't worry, I was just afraid that there was a fire or something…"

They stood together for a few moments, each enjoying the other's warmth after the strange morning. Finally, she whispered into his ear, sounding less upset and more determined. "You said we could do something about my horns? 'File' them? What's that?"

Leon smiled at her eagerness, "It'll take a little while, but let's see what we can do."

He led her away from the others, out a door into the garden. As impressive as the garden had been at night, it was several times better in the morning. There was a lack of songbirds, which seemed strange, but neither of them minded. The silence was peaceful.

"Alright, time for a trim!" Leon grinned, stopping beside a bush and positioning Lily's head, "So you'd like a little off the top?"

The barber impersonation went right over her head though, and all she returned was a confused but trusting stare. Unphased, he reached into his pocket and withdrew his favorite unused toy. His clockwork foldable sword. He affectionately referred to it as Bessie, and dreamt of being able to try it out in a fight or assassination some day. However, he was no longer an assassin… and any fights nowadays would be against people with guns or, possibly, girls with tons of invisible arms.

So its maiden usage was to be the careful whittling away of Lily's horns.

With a sigh, he carefully angled her head and began to carefully work at the tip of the left horn.

"You okay? That hurt at all?"

Lily shook her head no, and he continued his delicate carving. The white boney material was surprisingly soft, almost like ivory. Which… it could very well have been.

The minutes passed; dust and bits of horn piled below on the ground. Brushing them under a bush would be a simple matter, and they'd be forgotten.

Finally, after about a dozen minutes, Leon stepped back and examined his work. With a smile, he pressed a button on Bessie's handle, causing it to fold back to pocket size.

"Alright! How do they feel?" Leon exclaimed, flashing a grin. Tentatively, Lily reached up and felt the smooth stumps, then turned her head back and forth a few times.

"It feels… lighter. But good," She pouted at Leon, "How do they look?"

He responded earnestly, "I _personally_ thought the horns were damn sexy, but being able to spend additional time with you is more important. Besides, I don't want one of those poking me during… happy hour."

xxxxx

"Kohta? What's wrong? What's going on?"

Leon, who had been trying various hats and ribbons on Lily to hide what remained of her horns, looked over to see Yuka standing in the doorway looking worried. In her hands she clutched some bags.

"He just woke up with a bit of a fever," he said with a smirk, pulling a wool hat down over Lily's head, "Nyu _heroically_ stormed into our room this morning and woke us up, so I got the boy a cold rag and some water."

Nyu cheered happily at the mention of her actions, but Yuka still looked uneasy. "Kohta? He helped you?"

Leon lifted an eyebrow at her rudeness, but he could understand why she'd still be mistrustful. He had given her a false name and lied to her almost every other sentence.

"Relax, Yuka… he's fine. I mean, Nyu helped too," Nyu smiled and leapt on Kohta again, winding him before he could continue, "Agh! But I'd be in bad shape if Leon weren't here."

Nyu turned towards the assassin with an almost jealous look in her eyes, but this quickly faded as she put two-and-two together. In its place, she stood and ran at Leon, locking her arms around his waist and cheerily thanking him, "Nyuu!"

Leon looked surprised, and his awkwardness was only worsened as he noticed the death stare that Lily was aiming towards Nyu. He grimaced and patted the girl's head gently, before attempting to free himself.

In the doorway, Yuka gazed thoughtfully at the scene, then sighed and held up the bags, "I stopped on my way over and bought some new clothes. I figured… since you two lost everything in a fire that I would… yea."

An appreciative gasp left Leon's mouth as Nyu finally separated from him and went back to crowding the ill Kohta. He straightened his shirt and accepted the bags from Yuka with a smile, "Thank you. It means a lot, all that you've done for me and..."

His voice trailed off. Lily was still staring; that same icy glare. Strolling over, Leon tried to diffuse her anger with some reassuring words.

"Lily! Relax, hugs are just a way of showing thanks! I mean, if—"

He gaped in shock. And… he was lifted into the air. Frantically, his eyes darted around. Yuka and Nyu were both standing around and focusing on Kohta. But they'd be looking over any moment; he had just cut off midsentence…

He moved his mouth and desperately batted at Lily's vectors. Failing, he cried, "Oi! C'mon, no _ARMS!_"

Lily finally released, and Leon stumbled clumsily trying to regain his balance. The others were giving him a confused stare.

"I, uhh, thought she was going to slap me. That's all. And… I dodged. Not-so gracefully." He shot a glance towards Lily. There was no way he could manage to explain the vectors to these people… she needed to keep them hidden. Thankfully, she got the message.

xxxxx

A simple rice dish had been prepared for breakfast, but even so plain a meal tasted great when expertly made. Leon was always happy to help with cooking, he really was a natural. He had no idea why he was so good at it, though. Perhaps his career path just meant he possessed a better attention to detail?

Lily was still shooting jealous glances at Nyu, who was busy stuffing her face with gusto. Yuka was sitting beside Kohta, who had managed to prop himself up to get some food.

_But they had hardly even started eating when there was a timid knock at the door…_

"Err..." Leon looked at Yuka, but she was busy, and he was also the closest to the door, "I've got it, don't worry."

He rose, and slid the door open to reveal a young girl, no older th—

"Umm… Excuse me…"

Leon blinked once or twice, but there was no doubt. It was the girl from the beach, the one who had been running with her dog. She… must've been close to where that situation with the soldiers had taken place. He looked at her hands, and saw that she held an umbrella with a bamboo shaft. She held it up.

"I found this… and, umm…" She stuttered, but Leon smiled gently, which seemed to put anyone at ease, "The name of this place is written on it, so.."

"Thank you so much, I must've lost it. The beach, right?"

Before the conversation could go any further, Kohta appeared beside Leon, looking ecstatic.

"Were… were you at the beach yesterday? When it was raining?"

"Ye-Yes." She whispered, blushing nervously and looking confused.

"Was anyone there? Did you see anyone?"

"There were soldiers…"

Letting out a breath, Leon glared at the side of Kohta's head. But the boy was far too distracted in his search for answers.

"Can you tell me if you saw anything happen? With the soldiers?"

"Kohta, who's the girl…" Yuka called towards him accusingly.

"I…I…"

"She knows what happened yesterday! At the beach!" He shouted back, interrupting the shy girl.

Leon sighed and walked away from the door, propping the umbrella up against a wall. He tuned out the interrogation; there was no way Kohta would manage to get any new info. _But… something drifted over and caught his attention._

"There… was a man. He was hurt really bad, and missing part of his arm, and, and his eyes were.. I called an ambulance for him. I hope he's alright, but it was bad…"

_So… that man. Bando. There's a chance that he survived. And he knows that Kohta is connected to Lucy. That… is not good._

Nyu had risen during the exchange, and slipped out of the room, probably to use the restroom. It had gone unnoticed by everyone at first, but now a loud *_thump_* echoed through the house. All talking stopped.

"Wait… where's Nyu?" Kohta asked, dragged from his attempt at forcing answers out the girl.

"I'll check, don't worry about it." Leon muttered, moving towards the entrance to the hallway. Hopefully Nyu was okay.

But… before he could reach the archway, the girl appeared, head tilted downwards and face obscured under cover of shadow and hair.

_A single eye lifted from between the strands of bright pink hair, full of piercing hatred. It locked on Leon in recognition. Oh crap…_

There was a *_thud_*, and Leon collapsed, coughing violently and clutching his—

"_MY __**BAALLLLS!**__"_ He squeaked in agony, choking on burning hot tears.

Nonchalantly, Lucy walked past him, shifting her gaze to the rest of those present. There was the sound of many things flying through the air, when…

"Nyu? Are you okay?"

Lucy froze, and grunted in surprise. After a few silent moments, she walked around Kohta and the young stranger, leaving the inn. Just as she passed the boy, however, her mouth contorted and she hissed, "_I see…"_

"What? Where are you going?" Kohta called after her, looking completely clueless, but she kept walking, "What the heck was that about?"

"Leon!" Lily cried out, abandoning her food to run to his side. Still he remained immobilized, coughing and retching, feeling like he was on the verge of vomiting…

He looked up into her eyes. They were seething with rage and hurt. She knew what had just happened, and was probably on the verge of tearing Lucy to pieces. Leon was glad this hadn't happened, and whispered so the rest couldn't hear, "_It wasn't Nyu…_"

Climbing laboriously to his feet, the world class assassin used the love of his life for support as he tried to get feeling back in his legs after his terrifying testicular tragedy. Limping painfully, he made his way for the door.

"I just realized… I said I wanted to talk to my employers? I think it'd be wise to go get that done," He coughed agitatedly, before turning to point at Lily, "I want to make sure my family jewels still work later, mmkay? Wait here, please."

Everyone remained silent, and both Yuka and Kohtas' faces twisted at his sudden vulgar comment. Leon was gone, though, and the morning would continue on a slightly awkward note for those who remained.

xxxxx

The helicopter soared over the rooftops and was now out above the open water. There was always a group of people ready to ferry various scientists and... hired help like himself to the facility. On board, Leon sat quietly, delving through thoughts. Setting priorities.

Sure, he had to talk to the Diclonius researchers. Specifically, he needed to talk to their boss, Kakuzawa, about the whole botched operation with Bando and the soldiers. Acting like he was lucky to get out alive the whole time, of course. _Which he probably was._

But… he also needed to locate Lucy. Figure out what the hell had just happened with her... He had no idea where she would've run off to, though. So he'd worry about that later. She'd be safe on her own, since her vectors obviously worked…

The helicopter set down, and after a few moments, Leon limped uncomfortably away from the helipad and towards some security guards. They were clustered around the entrance, and would let him in with little hassle. He turned to get a last look at the beautiful bay, and the city across the water. Then he entered the pristine white facility… that hellhole soaked in unseen blood and tears.

xxxxx

Lily stood alone in the garden. The inn was surrounded in a wall of sorts, and the doorway was hanging wide open. On the other side, stairs descended lazily through the grass towards the city. The world. Full of people…

Pulling her blue wool hat down over her newly trimmed horns, Lily took a deep breath and stepped through. She could never forget what had happened to her… but that was a different time, a different place. Without horns, there was nothing to worry about, right? Things changed…

Halfway down the stairs, she stopped and turned. Leon had asked her to stay in the inn or its gardens at all times. He was imprisoning her, and she hated him for it… all she wanted was to move and see all that there was to see. But she loved him, and trusted him. She wanted her to be safe, that's all. They had only known each other for a short time, but his devotion to her was evident with every joke, every smile, every laugh… every mob of gangsters slaughtered and every fire run through.

He had cut these horns, these damn horns, so that she could leave such a prison. She had nothing to fear; she looked as good as human.

With a smile, she spoke to the soft breeze, "I am free…"

xxxxx

"I received word a few days ago… that a very important Diclonius has been removed from the facility." Director Kakuzawa spoke with emphasized disgust, glaring at Leon with eyes the likes of which he had only previously seen on Lucy. They were truly terrifying… but didn't frighten him, only unnerve.

"I'm aware of the situation with Lucy, sir. I've been hired to take care of it, after all." Leon replied with equally forced, but insincere, respect.

"That's just the thing," The man turned suddenly, "I'm not talking about Lucy. I said removed, not escaped. The _currency_ that went towards your hiring… is the one I speak of."

"Sir…?"

"Would you kindly take a look… at this," Kakuzawa approached his desk, a solid steel block as imposing as its owner. On it sat a cloth draped over some unseen object. With a twisted grin, he removed the white sheet. Leon's eyes widened, and Kakuzawa continued, "This man was kind enough to tell me the fate of the aforementioned _currency_ before meeting this fate."

On a metal disc sat a head. Just a head, looking a few days past its expiration date, resting in a pool of blood. That damn mist in its eyes that followed Leon wherever he went… was there yet again.

The assassin shifted uncomfortably, recognizing the face._ It was the scientist who had given Lily to him…_

"Do you know why Lucy is so important? Why I NEED her alive?"

Leon dropped the 'sir's, and any other modicum of respect, speaking instead with earnest distaste. "No, I do not."

The sadistic grin appeared again, and Kakuzawa flourished his arms and held them raised. "Lucy… is the Queen of the Diclonius! Others, the spawn of her taint, are younger, signaling that Lucy was the first with such power. However, with extensive…" _**the grin…**_"_Testing. _We have discovered that there is another remarkable trait."

He paused, and the impatient Leon spurred him on with a quick, "Well!"

"The average Diclonius is infertile. They won't get pregnant no matter how much… _attention_ is given to them. Lucy, on the other hand, we think could be bred with…" He paused, lowering his arms and approaching Leon, almost coming too close, "_If I had sex with her… and she had a child…_ I would become the father of a new race! Given one hundred, one thousand years, I WILL BE _HAILED_. **AS A GOD!**"

It was like a scene out of a poorly funded movie. The huge toothy smile that spread across the Director's face, the eyes staring off into space, lost in thoughts of power. It bothered Leon with its cheesiness, so he spoke up.

"You said that all other Diclonius are younger… but what about Lily? You're obviously implying that she is special too, and she's probably the same age as Lucy…"

"It was a startling realization, that there were in fact TWO Queens! Lily may be weaker, but perhaps she could still be used..."

Leon stepped forward, his face now inches away from Kakuzawa's. The seething hatred in his eyes would make an ordinary man crumble… but this man just stared back with a confident smirk.

Leon practically growled, "You only need one to achieve what you are after… Yes, I have Lily, but she poses no threat to your plans if I simply refrain from letting her get… pregnant. I can… get you Lucy…"

"So this incident with the soldiers? You didn't turn on them and assist Lucy? Then how did they all die if you were to inject her with the _DRUG_?" It was the Director's turn to speak angrily, but Leon was actually prepared for this lane of conversation.

"I fired the dart, but the wet fabric of her shirt managed to keep it from actually hitting her," he sighed, "Bando and the rest said that they would finish up, but apparently she slaughtered them."

"And why didn't the slaughter occur earlier? _Why_, if she had her vectors the whole time, weren't you _also_ killed!"

Leon paused and considered his options. _He could bring up the 'suspicion' that Lucy had amnesia that seemed to flicker on and off… or he could just play clueless. He went with the latter, as it seemed safer._

"Since I was the one with the drug, she probably figured that she should wait until after I had left," he then threw in some drama to wrap it up, "Her eyes… were cold and calculating. It wouldn't surprise me if that were the case."

"Still,_ you_ are going to get her for me, correct?"

"You leave Lily alone, and I will go to the ends of the Earth to capture Lucy for you."

There was silence while Kakuzawa assessed Leon's tone and face. As powerfully observant as the Director was, Leon could convince anyone. Every line and crease on the face has to be just right in order to leave _no doubt_ that you speak the truth… _when you're actually lying._

"Sterling example of a hitman if I ever saw one. Your money, your sex, your vices… they're all that matter to you. The kind of man I can trust; one who's hardly a man."

Leon smiled, "Thank you, sir. But on the topic of Lucy… it was a miracle how I found her last time. She's not like a politician who appears in a set place at a set time in front of thousands. She is alone, desperate, dangerous, and knows that she's being chased. I need a more reliable way to track her; either that or some more information."

"I've got just the thing…" Kakuzawa nodded towards the door, "Step outside and tell a Chief Kurama to see me. Then wait for him out there; he'll get you what you need."

Leon backed towards the door and nodded, "Thank you, sir."

The two shared another moment of eye contact. Leon went for a respectful, professional, trustable look. But… he was surprised at what he saw in the other man's eyes. Disgust. He looked down on Leon… it was obvious the guy couldn't be trusted.

Turning with a smirk, Leon left the large chamber that served as Kakuzawa's office. _That man was certainly a threat… he might have to be killed soon._

xxxxx

Lily was sweating.

So… so many people. Everywhere. Talking, moving, staring… It was a civilized hell, everyone going about their business, no sign of humanity. The lights of the shops made her eyes water, the fumes from the cars made her gag.

It was almost worse than she remembered… but at least no one knew about her horns. No one wanted to hurt her. If this was the world that she needed to get used to in order to be with Leon, so be it.

Feeling nauseous, she stepped out of the street and stumbled into an alley. Leaning against the cool bricks, she took a deep breath. It was darker, quieter… it still stank, but it was a thousand times better than the prior chaos. Suddenly, her eyes were drawn by a noise from her side.

Huddled around a table further down the alley were three men. On the surface rested a pile of handbags of various colors. Each of the men was roughly dissecting the purses, shoving anything worthwhile into the depths of their grimy jackets. One of them stopped with his hand deep in his pocket, and turned towards Lily. Through the liquor stained beard, a smile was visible.

xxxxx

Leon and some other men were crowded in a narrow hallway, staring through a window at a young Diclonius, strapped to a chair. He glanced sidelong at the man who Kakuzawa had assured would be of assistance to him.

Kurama's eyes obscured by sleek yet professional glasses, his back straight and his shoulders broad, suit neatly pressed and expertly worn. He managed an imposing presence without being too imposing a figure. His character, however, was certainly imposing. Leon could tell the moment their eyes met outside Kakuzawa's office that this man was worthy of respect.

"Number 7 still appears to be the best option. It behaves well, and has never harmed a human with its vectors."

Leon rotated his head towards the speaker, some random scientist who apparently oversaw this portion of the facility. "So what you were telling me... the girls can sense others like themselves?"

"Other Diclonius," The man corrected, earning a piercing glare from the assassin, "But… err, yes. It's just that… _she's_ been through so many horrible experiments. I'm not sure if she will even cooperate with us."

Kurama, who had been silent since receiving his orders from Kakuzawa, split off from the group and went for the door to this girl, Number 7's, room. The scientist mumbled vague warnings, but Leon intently watched what followed through the glass.

The Diclonius hadn't stirred until Chief Kurama entered her room, at which point her eyes widened. The Chief paced slowly over to her bed, more of a slab, and set a hand beside hers. Leon couldn't help but smile at the happy look that spread across Number 7's face.

"…Papa?"

The smile disappeared, replaced with concern.

"Papa… came to see Nana?" Tears welled up in the girl's eyes, and she cheered in disbelief, "Papa… it's Papa!"

"I have a favor to ask of you." Kurama stated flatly, but it did little to hamper the joy that Number 7, Nana, was experiencing.

"She calls him 'Papa'," Leon pondered aloud, "Is she really his daughter?"

"No… _Duh_!"

Leon whirled and pinned the scientist to the wall behind him. The loud clang as the man's skull bashed the metal walls didn't interfere with the exchange going on in the adjacent room.

"I'm a very _fun _guy, despite my profession," Leon hissed, "But as level-headed as I am, I cannot _stand_ people like you. Do you _really_ want to be someone an assassin can't stand…?"

"N-No!" The man whimpered, shaking his head desperately.

"Good. Then answer _helpfully_."

After coughing and rubbing his no doubt bruised head, the scientist straightened his coat and replied, "Life here isn't easy for any of them. Despite what I think they are… there's no doubt that their lives are miserable. If they don't get some sort of support, they'll never be anything more than insane animals. Though I personally think they already-"

"**SO... **Kurama is this girl's support?"

"It seems so."

Leon sighed, and observed as Nana happily nodded her head in response to whatever it was Kurama was proposing. After a few moments, he turned back to the racist man.

"What's your name?"

"Doctor Nakata. At least, I was a doctor. I felt I could do more good here, however. And, uhh... you?"

"Kieran."

The man grinned, and extended a hand for Leon to shake. "It means a lot that you'd give me your name, what with your profession and all. It's good to know we're all on the same team here!"

Leon eyed the hand, resisting the urge to laugh, "Indeed."

**xxxxx**

Surprise, surprise! Decided at the last moment to skip the vacation, and wound up having more fun here anyways.

So I've gone and set another personal record in this story for chapter length. I've also introduced an element that will allow me to carry on exploring each flank of this alternate universe I've gone and created. Leon will still be the main character, but little subplots can now be explored through Lily and this new guy (The embodiment of everything I hate... racism, ignorance, etc.) Nakata!

Also, my little X dividers? I'll start making the final one before the 'author's notes' bits bold, since someone apparently got confused and thought one of these was a portion of the story. xD

Now, I got two reviews before uploading this chapter, which just made me giddy. AND they were from new people! Joy! Excitement! Blah! I'm going to get started on the next chapter _right now_, so it would be nice if another few people got the courage to click that little button with the speech bubble and make me happy! _**Review**_.

-TN


	14. Chapter 13: We, The Scum

The sound of the helicopter's rotors was almost deafening, but Nana twirled around and chattered happily, "Waa!~ I've never worn clothes like these! Do I look good, Papa?"

Judging from Kurama's eyes, he was definitely in pain over the situation, but remained calm and collected. He did not answer, however.

Undeterred, Nana continued, "Papa, Papa! Tell me what the favor is! I'll do anything!"

"I want you to capture a person," the Chief sighed, pushing his glasses up the ridge of his nose, "She is the same as you, a Diclonius."

"Who?"

Kurama smiled, despite himself. _She was a smart girl._ "Her name is Lucy, and she escaped from here. Killing dozens in the process. Diclonius should be able to feel the presence of one another. You should be able to find her…"

The girl sat in silence, pondering what it would mean to be let lose, free from the facility. Finally, she answered with confidence.

"I think I can find her. And capture her."

"You only need to find her. This man will be with you, and… he'll keep you safe."

Leon returned Kurama's gaze, nodded reassuringly, and began to explain his role to the girl.

"I will signal for some soldiers to be brought in once we find her. I will also be able to neutralize her vectors with this," He held up his chromed handgun, modified for firing darts, "All you have to do is lead me to her, and you'll be a hero. Mmkay?"

Nana turned away from Leon, deep in thought. After a few moments, she looked up at Kurama with tears forming in the corners of her eyes, "Papa… are you in trouble if you don't find that person?"

The silence went on uncomfortably long before a reply was given.

"…Yes," the man sighed, "I have no choice… but to rely on you, Nana."

The girl's face lit up and she smiled widely, wiping at her tears with the sleeves of her dress, "Really? You mean it? Then… I'll do my best, Papa!"

Leon smiled at Nana's giggles of pride and joy. But this faded as memories clouded his vision yet again. He had killed children the same age... or younger than her. But _only_ since he started accepting the contracts to kill Diclonius, he realized.

_The average child was too innocent, but… the moment a person gained the power to consciously snuff out life on a whim, they had every right to be snuffed out in turn. Right?_

However, he couldn't dwell on the morality of such things too much… the only thing he had on his résumé was a life as an assassin, after all.

Leon waited patiently while the Nana embraced her father figure bid him farewell, then began his stroll over to the helicopter alongside her. However, she stopped suddenly and ran back. Her arms wrapped around the Chief.

"Papa! Please, gimme this rope thingy! I've always wanted it!"

Leon chuckled as she tugged at Kurama's tie. But the man remained cold as steel as he yanked it off from around his throat and held it out to her.

Grasping it close to her chest, she squealed ecstatically, "Hee!~ Thank you! If I come back with her, would you give me a pat and say good girl?"

With furrowed brows, Leon watched as even this most affectionate and adorable of displays failed to even crack the surface of Kurama's composure.

"Yeah… but run away if you think you're in danger," He paused to take a breath, finally displaying some emotion, "So make sure… that you come back to me."

Tears welled up yet again, "Yep!"

Leon waited for the one-sided loving embrace to finish, and soon Nana ran past him to the waiting helicopter. Slowly, Kurama approached the assassin, his eyes on the ground.

"Lucy will be able to sense her coming too," he muttered hopelessly, "You'd better make sure that she returns safe and unharmed."

Thinking it all over, Leon had no idea how this would end up playing out. But he had to remain adaptable, be ready for anything. Somehow, he had to keep both sides of this conflict safe…

"You have my word; I'll get her back to you in one piece." He promised with a sincere smile.

xxxxx

"Why… are you doing this to me?"

"Shut it, woman. People are lookin'!"

It was true. These men were grappling with Lily, touching her with complete disrespect and no love… the polar opposite of Leon. His hands glided slowly and seductively over her body, enjoying every quiver and pulse. These men seemed hungry… they just wanted to off-load their stress. It made her feel nauseous.

She was about to be violated against her will… and people in the nearby streets just walked past, casting pitiful glances her way but doing nothing to help. In fact, a small group had formed that were watching nervously, whispering to one another. If this continued, she would have to use her vectors. In public. It would make things worse, just like what happened at the house she and Leon had shared. Leon…

_She should never have left his side. He could keep her safe... she could freely walk around the world beside him and be fine. But... he wasn't here. He didn't have to know what happens here...  
_

The seconds crawled by and the homeless men, finished with their initial gleeful groping, proceeded to hastily tug at their pants.

With pleading eyes inundated by tears, Lily turned her head to the people watching from the street. Unable to bear the scene any longer, they turned and departed. Now it was just her and the men.

_Perfect._

xxxxx

Nana's reaction to flying and seeing the outside for the first time was a lot like Lily's. Lily was slightly more mature, perhaps, but they both turned their heads left and right excitedly, mouth agape in awe.

Leon watched with amusement, and his eyes inevitably gravitated to her horns. The two white points were nothing compared to the towering spikes that Lily had possessed until that morning. Still, however, they were quite noticeable. He'd have to buy a hat for the girl when they got to Kamakura.

Apparently Nana felt the eyes on her, and pulled her head away from the amazing scenery in time to notice Leon's staring. He politely redirected his eyes, of course, but the Diclonius smiled and looked down at Kurama's tie, clenched tightly in her small hands. Assessing the piece of cloth, she lifted it to her head and began to delicately wrap it around her horns.

The tie was barely wide enough, and Nana looked up at Leon with the navy blue ribbon adorning her head. She had managed to hide her horns with it, but was that her original purpose in asking for the thing…? The girl might be smarter than she seemed.

Leon took advantage of it to start a conversation, talking loudly to be heard over the rotors. "Impressive. The horns would've been a problem moving around with you."

Nana mouthed a few words of thanks, but the assassin couldn't pick up anything over the background noise.

"So how are you feeling? You've never been outside before, have you?"

"It's amazing! Everything is so pretty!" She shouted happily, but her tone changed when she noticed his calm, amused smile, "I'm not scared! Nana will help Papa!"

"I'm glad. Just remember that he'd rather you be safe than a hero."

Leon chuckled at her accusatory stare, and she was about to open her mouth when her eyes widened, "I can feel someone! I can feel a Diclonius!"

"What? We're not even in the city yet! How close is she?"

"Not far."

Leaning over slightly, Leon peered ahead at the rapidly approaching shoreline. _The beach… Lucy must like that spot._

"Well, great! We can get there in just a few minutes once we land."

Nana nodded her head slowly, then tilted it to the side and began to stare curiously, "So who are you? I've never seen anyone with clothes like that before."

"Heh, well, these clothes are pretty normal, actually. I guess you're used to seeing just suits and lab coats aren't you?" He thought briefly about how bizarre an experience it would be to be introduced to the world after a lifetime locked away, but shook his head and continued with her question, "Anyway, not proud of the fact, but I'm an assassin. To put it bluntly, I kill people, usually for money. But in this particular case I'm being… _paid_ to keep you safe."

"What's money?"

Leon's brow furrowed and he scoffed in bewilderment. "Well, money… people use money to control their world. You can get anything you want with enough money… almost anything. Food, clothes, a home, love. Life. Death. Everything is for sale."

Thinking this over, Nana formed yet another question, "So why just 'usually' money? What else is there?"

The helicopter was now lowering itself onto the privately owned rooftop, and once it was settled, Leon silently hopped off. Still thinking deeply about her question, he turned to gently guide Nana out onto the gravel by her hand. A line of men filed past the duo towards the waiting chopper, while they walked the opposite direction towards a doorway.

Entering the cool shade at the top of a long stairwell, Leon decided to provide an honest response. "Well, a girl somewhat older than you was in a rough situation. She had been trapped in the same facility as you, but was born outside. Without much thinking, I saved her, and offered to capture someone if they'd let me leave with the girl. Now the two of us are... close."

"You need to capture Lucy too?"

Sighing, and beginning down the stairwell, the assassin nodded his head.

It was true. A lot hinged on Lucy's capture. Things could go very badly if he didn't play his cards right.

_Lucy won't be captured, Nana will safely fail, and Lily will remain free. They were all clashing forces, and he was stuck in the middle; lying and plotting his way towards the perfect outcome..._

xxxxx

Using the majority of her dozen vectors, Lily had the three men pinned to the wall by their arms and necks. With the remaining invisible hands, she was quite literally holding their tongues.

They looked on in horror as she nonchalantly readjusted her dress with her normal arms. Through their alcohol stained beards, the sound of gurgling was all that emerged from their mouths. They couldn't cry for help, and no one would notice if they were gone. They had tried to do a disgusting thing to her… and were about to pay the price.

The first of the homeless scum, the one who had initially seen her, began to squirm violently as he felt a tingling sensation in his chest. Suddenly, and quite messily, he split in half. Ribs poked out of the meat as pieces fell to the ground, gushing blood.

The next man was the only one to succeed in removing his pants. He wore nothing under them, but the indecency was concealed by his long, grungy coat. Using her newly liberated vectors, Lily enthusiastically dug into the man's thighs. Gripping his two femurs, she hoisted them up sharply, gouging the bones into his vital organs. His body radically changed shape, and he too was released, blood pouring from his mouth. His eyes were still.

Lily stared at the final man ponderingly. He had been trying to bite down on her vector fruitlessly, and surrendered when her gaze fell on him. Gently closing his eyes, he accepted his fate. Invisible hands were placed on either side of his head, ready to crush or otherwise mutilate his cranium…

But… he fell to the ground. After a few coughs, the man opened his eyes and examined his body, patting it with his hands in disbelief. He looked up at Lily curiously.

"Remember this day." She muttered coldly, turning to leave that damned alley.

xxxxx

Leon actually had a little experience with children, which would surprise many. There were numerous contracts he had carried out in the past that, when completed, left a child orphaned.

He thought of an example where he had learned something interesting. He had learned that children possessed an amazing courage; born of ignorance, maybe, but still courage.

The distant memory drifted forth in his mind as he walked.

x

In a peaceful residential development, with picket fences and identical looking houses, Leon had been hired to kill a man and his wife. Things went surprisingly smoothly; rather than fight, the husband simply embraced his wife and held her during their last moments.

Their kid was visiting a neighbor at the time, which was why Leon had snatched the opportunity. But the boy returned home early to find his parents lying in a pool of blood, a tall figure in a dark jacket standing over them.

Leon had used a knife, and was also carrying a gun, but was too surprised to do anything with either of them. The kid tackled him to the ground, an impressive feat for one so young, and began to mercilessly bludgeon his chest.

It didn't hurt, of course, and Leon simply rose and began speaking to the kid. Absorbing all the punching, kicking, and screaming, Leon talked to the boy calmly. Tears flowed freely, and after several minutes, the child collapsed in defeat, sobbing.

Sitting down beside him, Leon continued speaking. Telling the kid that he needed to be strong. That he needed to work hard so that his parents would be proud of him forever.

The crying stopped, and questions followed. At first, a simple, childish question was repeated, "_Why?_"

When it was obvious that the answer didn't provide any peace of mind, the child began to ask about his future. _ "Where will I go", "what will I do", "what will happen to me?"_

After an hour or so, the boy was calm. Leon directed him to visit a neighbor and tell them what had happened. By the time the police got to the home, nothing but the two bodies remained.

x

Courage. This girl, Nana, was venturing into an unknown world to use an untrained skill in search of an unforgiving foe.

She was courageous to do such a thing, but fear and courage can exist side by side. The two of them hadn't even gone a block and Nana was nervously walking tight against Leon. After tripping two or three times, he laughed and took hold of her hand. Almost universally helpful when it comes to kids.

They had hardly been traveling like this for five minutes when…

"What are those?" Nana chirped for the eighth time.

"Trucks. They're like cars, but bigger; meant to carry stuff." Leon answered patiently. It was kind of fun, in a way. She was much more cheerful and excited now, her head bobbing to and fro, trying to take in everything at once.

"We're still moving the right way?" He continued, shutting down his young partner's joyful exploration.

"Yes, but… I feel two people now. Two Diclonius."

Leon raised an eyebrow, "I suppose that makes sense. But the second one is farther away, correct?"

"It's moving towards the other…"

He froze.

"Agh! Why'd you stop!" Nana whined, almost falling over backwards because she had been clinging to his hand. Mind racing, Leon desperately tried to come up with an explanation.

_Was Lily seeking revenge for what had happened that morning? What was happening?_

Snapping back to his senses, he released the girl's hand and began sprinting. Nana could catch up at her own pace.

_The beach… they were at the beach…_

xxxxx

One thing Lily hadn't considered when she left the safety of the inn... was how to get back. Leon had carried her there after the fire, and all she remembered opening her eyes once and seeing water. Water that stretched for miles, as far as the eye could see.

But that wasn't the only thing that had led her to the beach. She had this feeling… it was there when she was with Kohta, Nyu, and Lucy, too. Something on the edge of her mind, like something caught in one's peripheral vision. She had decided to walk towards it.

The large staircase led down to the sandy shoreline, and was flanked by trees and thick underbrush. Farther down the steps sat a lone figure, dressed in familiar clothing. It was that girl, Nyu… _the one who had hurt Leon!_

Cautiously, Lily descended the stone stairs, trying her best to remain silent. She was drawing nearer to her target… just a few more steps…

"I know you're there."

Lily froze, but sensed no hostility in Nyu's voice. Just boredom. It didn't even sound like Nyu… Leon had mentioned to her that it 'was someone else'. _But what did that mean?_

"You hurt Leon." She stated the single certainty.

Lucy scoffed in response, turning her head, "That human? He thought he had helped me before, acted so prideful… Would've been more fun to kill him; don't see why I didn't. And you care why…?"

"I love him."

Trying to contain forced malicious laughter, Lucy stood and faced Lily. "You're either disgustingly weak willed or just plain stupid to be able…"

Her eyes softened when she saw the confident gaze reflected by the subject of her taunting. Lily offered up no response to the venomous words, and several seconds of thoughtful silence ensued. Finally, Lucy let out a sigh.

"I… suppose I understand…"

"You love someone too?"

Lily's naturally friendly and curious nature prevailed over her anger at her fellow Diclonius, who smirked at the sudden question.

"I guess I do. Too bad, though. He _hates_ me."

Having witnessed the scene in the dining room, and Nyu's transformation from an innocent and kind-hearted soul to this cruel and depressed thing, Lily already had a pretty good idea. She had seen the surprise in Lucy's eyes when they fell upon Kohta…

"When was the last time you talked to him?"

Lucy groaned and stretched, before sitting back down on the steps. "Just a few hours ago… you were there."

"You call that talking? How do you know he hates you? He sounded worried when you left."

There was silence while the recipient of these latest words thought of their truth. But both heads turned at the sound of someone talking at the staircase's apex.

xxxxx

Leon could see them. Lucy and Lily were beside one another, further down the steps. Nana had just caught up, and he handed her a small box from his pocket.

"Wait here, and if things go wrong, press this button. It'll take a few minutes for them to get here," the assassin spoke seriously, cracking his neck, "Wish me luck."

Hand tensed and ready to reach for his dartgun, Leon took the first several steps two at a time, slowing as he drew near to the two Diclonius. Remembering the fight with the soldiers on the beach, he stopped a few meters away from Lucy. She wouldn't be able to reach him.

"Leon?" Lily began, sounding relieved.

"Lily, come here, please!"

She obeyed, and Leon watched Lucy warily. When he continued speaking, he lowered a hand to cover his groin. The memory was still all too vivid.

"You're lucky I forgive you! Or I am… One of us is!"

Lucy rolled her eyes at his attempted humor, "I could've killed you a dozen times already. It's you who's lucky; any other day I would kill one of you just to see the other's reaction."

"Thankfully, you're curious to know who I am. Am I right?"

"No. Just bored. Leave me alone."

"Then what about Kohta?"

This caused her to perk up, and Leon smiled at this newfound piece of leverage.

"It is better for everyone if I just stay away from him…" She mumbled softly.

"But you don't want that, do you?" she glared up at him between strands of hair, and he went on, "I'm sure you're aware that you seem to have some sort of… split-personality disorder."

"_So!_"

"You should see the smile on _'Nyu's'_ face when she's with him, though."

"He's safer if I just—"

"The smile on _his_ face when the two of you are together."

"… and what can you do?" she resigned, lowering her head.

_Unbeknownst to the group, someone was slowly approaching, hiding behind the bushes alongside the staircase._

"First," Leon dictated, "You **_are_ **Lucy right? I've wagered a lot on it, and I'm not even completely sure—"

"Some people call me that. Now, about Kohta; Why did you say those things?"

_The figure in the underbrush suppressed a happy yelp._

"I'm a very… bad person. At least, I was," Leon shared a knowing glance at Lily, who looked back with worry, "Lucy, people call you a miserable demon who can only kill or be killed. Scum; just like me. I want to prove everyone wrong. So I've got this lovely picture in my head of a world where you are living happily with your lad, I am living happily with my lass, and that Godforsaken '_research_' facility is turned into something better. We, the scum, are _all_ redeemed. And _living_. _Happily_. It's still just a rough draft, but that is what I'm after… I want **_perfection_**."

The bushes rustled, and everyone present turned to see a young Diclonius forcing her way out of the shrubbery with a slightly torn dress and a flustered face.

"What! What are you saying! You said you were being paid to help me capture Lucy!"

He groaned, "Now, Nana, listen. There is a way to resolve this situation that allows… oh, frick…"

Halfway through his sentence, Leon turned and noticed the expression on Lucy's face. It was one of those 'how dare you betray me, I am about to tear you into confetti' expressions. He laughed and held his hands up in front of him, trying to calm the Diclonius.

"Now, Now, Lucy! I meant what I just said, stay calm and I can get you to Koh—"

There was a loud *_thud_*. Leon's eyes went wide. It was an awful way to experience déjà vu.

"MY _**BAAALLS!**_ WHAT THE HEEEELL—"

Before he could finish crying out in agony, Lily had scooped him up and flung him off the stairs. Tumbling through thorns and what he _really_ hoped was not poison ivy, Leon felt his gun come loose from the back of his pants.

Now resting upside-down against a tree, the assassin slumped into a quivering mass. There was one location that any man young or old, rich or poor, weak or strong, wise or a tax collector… one location that made none of that matter. The 'family jewels'; and Leon doubted his would even be recognizable when the day was done.

Through tear lined eyes, Leon could see a free-for-all begin between the three girls. But… Lily was in there. He needed to… find the gun. Disable the other two.

Coughing violently, he began to drag himself towards where he thought he had lost his weapon.

xxxxx

Lily felt bad that Leon had taken the blow to what he referred to as his '_highly-sensitive-zone-of-happiness-and-love'_, but she had gotten him out of harm's way. For now. He had saved her on enough occasions… it was time to return the favor.

There was a vicious crunching noise as Lily brought a vector around and made contact with Lucy's maniacal grin. Her first target having collided with the rock wall opposite the hedges, Lily turned her attention to the young Nana.

Everything went white, and when the world came back into focus, Lily was upside-down and rapidly falling towards the beach. Gracefully, she reached out with a vector and caught herself, allowing her body to lose its momentum before she lowered herself back to the ground.

Feeling a strange warm sensation on under her nose, Lily wiped at her face with the back of her hand. Observing it, she was surprised to see fresh blood, and lots of it. And it was her's, for a change.

Grunting, she looked up to see Lucy recovered and advancing on Nana.

"We're such a rare breed, the three of us. I would've let you two go," she turned and scoffed at Lily, "Forget it; this saves me the trouble."

In one quick movement, Nana was hoisted into the air and slammed into the wall. All the while, Lucy kept walking at her leisurely pace. Lily began approaching from behind, hoping that one of the two would finish off the other.

"This…"

The youngest Diclonius was choking on burning tears as she forced her way to her feet, struggling to stand. She lifted her bloodied head.

"_**This doesn't hurt at all!**_"

Lucy stopped in her tracks and began to grab at her throat. Slowly, she was lifted into the air.

"I.. can't… _reach you_?" She spat, her vectors clawing at the stones around Nana.

"Looks like I'm more powerful," The girl laughed, pinning her prey against a tree beside the steps, "But don't worry. I won't kill you. But for what you've done… I'll make you suffer!"

There was a creaking noise, and the earth itself seemed to groan. Then, roots releasing clumps of dirt, the tree that had trapped Lucy was torn from the ground. Nana was dumbstruck.

"Wha…"

It was brought down with tremendous force. Leaves were thrown up into the air and began to shower around Lucy. Eyes darting back and forth, examining every gap in the falling foliage, she strained to spot her target.

The girl had dodged the tree, however, and was scrambling to her feet a few meters away. Spotting her, Lucy's vectors ripped through the leaves in an attempt to crush—

But Nana's were longer, and Lucy toppled head over heels down the hill after being struck. Spotting an easy opportunity to contribute to the fight, Lily batted the tumbling Diclonius back up the hill.

"I've had the opportunity to kill you a dozen times over, if I were serious." Nana chanted mockingly, repeating the words she had heard earlier, "So… do you surrender? Or do you want this to continue? There's no way you can beat me with arms _that_ short."

Lucy was a battered wreck, covered in cuts and dirt. But her smile glistened from within the shadows cast by her stooped head.

There was a loud rustle, and leaves flew into the air once again, concealing the two Diclonius. Panicking and unable to see her enemy, Nana gritted her teeth and backed cautiously away from where Lucy had just been standing.

"Wh-Where did you go?"

From her safe position below, Lily could see quite easily that Lucy had lifted herself into the air with her vectors. Her ambush failed however, and Nana rose to combat her rival among the treetops.

Sighing, Lily started up the staircase again. Leon was somewhere on the other side of that fight… he was smart, and was likely keeping his distance, waiting for a chance to do something.

Walking calmly, she was yanked from her thoughts by a blur moving rapidly towards her.

xxxxx

From his spot behind a tree, Leon cringed as a projectile - which it turned out was Nana - crashed into Lily. The two of them were down, struggling to untangle themselves from one another. But Lucy was now standing over them.

Cursing under his breath, Leon finally withdrew the gun he had just recently recovered. Aiming down the sight, he roared as loud as he could, "Lily! Shove her and run here!"

The next few moments seemed to go in slow motion. Leon squeezed the trigger, and a drugged dart left the chamber, flying straight and true towards its mark.

Having forgotten about the assassin, Lucy whirled around and was ready to deflect his attack, but was shoved from behind by Lily's vectors. Tripping and falling to her knees, the dart impacted her shoulder. As the Diclonius growled in pain, Lily ran past safely, and was outside her zone of attack.

Nana, however, had just gotten to her feet.

"Damn it! Run!"

Leon gritted his teeth. Nana was just standing there, unaware to what would likely happen in a few moments.

"_It could be worse"_, he thought, "_some innocent bystander could walk by…"_

"What's with the shouting!"

A person was running towards the fight from further down the steps, and Leon immediately recognized her as the girl from the beach who had shown up earlier that morning. He would've done something to stop her, but was preoccupied with the irony of what he had just finished thinking. All he could manage was to stare hopelessly as events unfolded.

"Please, no fighting!" The girl screamed, noticing the bloody and beaten people around her.

What happened next served to clearly define Nana and Lucy. The former ran forward, shouting a warning that was, literally, cut off by the latter. There was a sick shredding noise as Nana came into reach of Lucy's ebbing vectors.

With what little strength remained before her arms succumbed to the drug, Lucy hacked the young Diclonius apart.

First went a leg, soaring off into the bushes. The girl's momentum kept her turning however, and before she had even hit the ground, every other limb followed suit.

With a final swipe, the girl from the beach who had inadvertently caused the multiple amputations was thrown lazily off into the forest, landing out of sight.

Lucy now had lost her only weapon, and slumped in fatigue, growling angrily.

Leon let out a slow hissing sigh. _Safety_… the plan had worked, although things had gone quite awry.

A nearly inaudible noise in the distance caught his attention. He did his best to tune in with environment, now that at least one source of stress had been dealt with, and his ears picked up on something. Thundering footsteps, not far away…

"Crap, she must've called for the soldiers before the fight began," Leon snapped, "Lily! Into the woods, now! Wait for me there; I have a plan."

With his love obediently fleeing to safety, he turned his attention to Lucy, whom was trying fruitlessly to steady herself.

Smiling smugly, the assassin strolled over and shoved her back to the ground. She landed hard, and glared menacingly, baring her teeth. Leon bent over, removing the dart from the girl's shoulder and causing her to wince. Discarding it on the steps, he gave her a wink.

Leon then distanced himself. Nana was laying on the ground, immobile and whimpering, between him and Lucy.

"Alright Lucy. Time for me to prove trustworthy. We'll put on an act; just make 'em think that your vectors are still working. When I say '_don't shoot her', _that is your cue to run into the trees and meet up with Lily. Tell her I sent you, and wait for me. We'll figure things out then, mmkay?"

The Queen of the Diclonius remained cold and calculating, covered in scrapes and bruises. She nodded her head though, and that was all Leon needed.

xxxxx

Soldiers had approached from the beach below; soldiers had approached from the street above. There was **nowhere **for the Diclonius to escape to.

Doctor Nakata had no idea why he had been brought along on such a high risk mission, or even Chief Kurama for that matter. Apparently Director Kakuzawa believed the soldiers 'needed guidance'.

_But still, if that assassin had managed his job, wouldn't they just be able to tie the thing up and leave?_

Huffing with exertion as he made his way up the stone steps, Nakata peered over the shoulder of one of the soldiers at the grisly scene ahead.

The hitman, Kieran, was standing in front of the soldiers across from Lucy. The Diclonius herself was in the center of the armored circle, with several meters between her and the closest human, just as Kurama had specified. But there was something else... a wide pool of blood with a small body in the middle.

"Keep your distance! Nana and I were ambushed. Lucy's managed to deflect the paralyzing darts, but we were able to hurt her some before you got here." The assassin hollered to all present, but one man was preoccupied.

"Ch-Chief! What are you doing?" Nakata hollered as Kurama entered the ring and walked right by Lucy. Lucy… did _nothing _to stop him.

Gritting his teeth at the sight of Number 7 in pieces, Kurama pushed his thin glasses further up the bridge of his nose and knelt beside the girl.

"That does it… I will definitely never forgive you." He vowed, doing his best to contain his emotion.

"Sir! Number 7 is done for! Abort the retrieval, we're here for Lucy!" Nakata called out to his superior, "Are you trying to get yourself killed!"

Ignoring everyone else, Kurama gently scooped up the quivering torso of the girl who thought of him as a father. The two began a brief exchange, unheard by those around them.

"Is that _really_ the girl who nearly killed Bando?"

Nakata looked over at the speaker; one of the soldiers was whispering to another.

"She killed half a dozen armored men with automatic weaponry. This chick is no joke."

The first one nodded, and looked back at Nakata. "Sir, shall we backup Chief Kurama?"

Many of his colleagues considered Nakata to be a bit on the thick-skulled side, but even he could see that what was occurring before the three individuals was a personal matter he had no comprehension of.

"No… hold your positions."

The dialogue between Kurama and Number 7 continued for another minute or so, but finally, the Chief rose to his feet.

"Wasn't your daughter already dead?" Lucy prodded maliciously. Her voice sent shivers down Nakata's spine, but the sensation was about to be drowned out by shock.

"Yes… I killed her."

In a blur, Kurama spun and brought his fist to meet Lucy's smug grin full force. Blood visibly spurted from the Diclonius' nose, and she fell over backwards baring her teeth.

"CHIEF! PLEASE BACK OFF!" The Doctor shouted, sweat beading on his forehead at just how stupid a move the man had just made.

Just then, the assassin, Kieran, stepped forward. His hands were up, trying to get the attention of the soldiers.

"Alright! Stay calm! Whatever you guys do, _don't shoot her_!"

xxxxx

The speed at which Lucy fled upon hearing the cue was surprising even to Leon. She barreled through the shrubbery in the same direction that Lily had gone. He was quick to seize the opportunity. Or at least try to.

"I'll get—"

"Leon…"

"AFTER HER!" That bigot 'Doctor', Nakata, screamed at the soldiers. The men clumsily tried to make their way through the underbrush, countless plants catching on their equipment. There was no way they'd catch up with their target.

Leon halted and turned towards the original speaker. Kurama was again kneeling and comforting Nana, who was still losing a lot of blood and breathing hard.

With a worsening feeling in his gut, Leon approached and knelt at his side. The smell of blood is not one that you want to be able to say you're used to.

He did his best to speak softly, "I… am so sorry. We weren't ready, I didn't know she could deflect the darts so easily…"

His lies receiving no response, Leon continued in a horrible direction, "It's even worse considering I promised to get her back to you in... one piece."

Kurama glared up at the assassin, and Nana began to cough violently and wheeze. Beaten down and feeling shameful, Leon rose and started towards the woods.

"I'll get after Lucy; you all make sure she doesn't double back," he patted a soldier on the back as the man tried to untangle his boots, "Even better, get that girl some medical attention! Now!"

Nimbly leaping through the bushes, Leon disappeared into the forest. A minute hadn't even passed when he reached a small clearing, far from the eyes of the Diclonius researchers and the soldiers.

Lily was leaning against a tree, wiping at her sore and bloodied nose. Beside her, Lucy was clutching her head and groaning. Leon lifted an eyebrow and walked to her.

"Lucy? What's the matter with you?"

"I'm… _agh_, my _head_! I'm gonna turn **stupid** again… _NO_!"

Leon caught the girl as she tripped, and whispered reassuringly in her ear, "Kohta will be happy to see you."

Silence enveloped the clearing. Wiping some blood off on her leg, Lily approached her lover as he cradled another girl. She did her best to contain her growing jealousy.

"…Nyuu?"

"Heh, I guess we can head home now." Leon chuckled, helping Nyu to her feet.

Taking the confused girl in one hand and his love in the other, he began through the woods. They'd reenter the bustling Kamakura eventually, and start towards the inn.

His smile was demolished as he thought of Nana, though. The girl had been a prisoner her whole life, and her first… her _only _day in the outside world was full of beatings and dismemberment. At least she had gotten the experience of limited freedom. All he could hope for was that Kurama was comforting her in her final moments.

xxxxx

"That… person… got away…?"

"Don't speak anymore. You're bleeding badly."

Nakata had gone to call for an ambulance, and was now standing awkwardly behind Kurama as he spoke to the dying Number 7.

"But the… man…"

"Try to rest, Nana…"

There was a long silence. Sirens could be heard in the distance, and the pace of Nana's breathing quickened.

"I'm… sorry I… didn't catch her…" She kept speaking, despite Kurama's protests, "Hey, Papa… would I… _no longer be useful?"_

Tears welled up, and every breath became raspy and erratic.

"_Would Papa… not use Nana anymore?_"

No response, just a thoughtful stare masked by the sleek reflective glasses.

"Pa_pa_… I'm so… _sor_ry… so_rry_… _Pa_…"

Kurama reached down and rested a hand on Nana's head. Gently, he patted the soft hair between the small horns.

"Don't speak anymore."

**xxxxx**

Sorry that took so long; it's been a busy week. Summer is flying by... but I promise I'll try to keep working on this when Summer ends. Emphasis on "try". xD

This chapter also sets yet another record for length, at almost 7,000 words. It was kind of hard to get the fight scene written without abusing names and pronouns too much. I still think it could do with less _she, her, she, her_. Alas, that's what I get for having three girls duking it out.

Hopefully I pulled off this important scene in an acceptable manner. What do you think? What? You have an opinion? Heey, great! See that lil button below this? Press it. Type something. _**Review**_.

-TN


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